Mozambican police detained two people who had two ivory points in Gaza province in southern Mozambique, a source at the corporation said on Wednesday.
Two men, aged 20 and 23, were arrested on Tuesday while trying to sell ivory arrowheads in the Massingir district, said Paulino Ernesto, head of operations of the Republic of Mozambique Police District (PRM), quoted by Radio Mozambique.
“They were caught trying to sell ivory arrowheads. [A detenção ocorreu] after coordinated work with the National Criminal Investigation Service and the inspectors of the Limpopo National Park in Gaza,” said Paulino Ernesto.
According to police, the detainees were charged with slaughtering livestock and illegal possession of prohibited species.
According to official figures, poaching in Mozambique is a major threat to the country’s wildlife, drastically reducing some species.
The country has lost at least 10,000 elephants since 2009, according to the latest ANAC data, and in the Nyassa Reserve in the north of the country alone, the total number of this species has increased from 12,000 to 4,400 in three years. (from 2011 to 2014).
More recent reports show that the country lost 48% of its elephant population between 2011 and 2016.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
