Twenty-six more elephants poisoned with cyanide in Zimbabwe

HARARE: Park rangers in Zimbabwe have discovered the carcasses of 26 more elephants killed by poachers with cyanide, bringing the total to 40 within one week, officials said Wednesday.
The carcasses were discovered Tuesday in Hwange National Park, in the west of the southern African country, said Caroline Washaya-Moyo, a spokeswoman for the wildlife authority.
Tests showed the elephants died of cyanide poisoning, she said.
The discovery came a week after it was announced that 14 elephants had been killed by the same method in the Hwange and Matusadona national parks.
Environmentalists say high unemployment is encouraging poaching in Zimbabwe.
The cyanide is often obtained from poorly guarded mining sites.
The ivory tusks are smuggled mainly to Asia, where it is used to make decorative objects.
"This tactic of poaching seems to be getting out hand," Washaya-Moyo told dpa.
Police spokeswoman Charity Charamba said no arrests had been made so far.
"The authorities must deploy the police and army in the parks," conservationist Johnny Rodrigues said.
"The killing of elephants using cyanide affects the ecosystem," as vultures feeding on the carcasses are also poisoned, he added.
He puts the number of elephants in Zimbabwe at about 35,000, while other estimates raise it to 100,000. — dpa