Elephant Poaching Escalates in Garamba National Park - Statement from African Parks CEO, Peter Fearnhead

Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is facing an escalated poaching threat.

Over the past five weeks, 33 elephants have been poached in the park, 10 of which were killed on Friday, 9 May. On Sunday, 11 May Garamba’s anti-poaching teams encountered a group of eight poachers in the park and an exchange of fire ensued during which three poachers were killed and the other five escaping. A second group of poachers, operating close to the site also fled upon hearing the gunfire. African Parks manages Garamba National Park in partnership with the DRC’s national park authority, ICCN.

It seems that this poaching thrust is originating from the heavily forested Azande Domaine de Chasse, immediately adjacent to the Park. Traditionally this area has been a base for the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) however we are unable to confirm at this stage whether the current poaching attacks are by the LRA, organised Sudanese poaching units, local Congolese poachers, or a combination of these groups.

Our anti-poaching teams currently remain deep within the park and we are awaiting an update. In the interim, we have increased patrols, intensified our aerial surveillance and are working closely with security and intelligence organisations to combat the current threats. African Parks has also dispatched an additional anti-poaching expert to support the team on the ground.

We will provide more details as soon as they become available.