Some Arsehole Just Killed 87 Elephants For Their Ivory

Eighty-seven dead elephants have been found in Botswana with their tusks removed, in what looks like one of the largest poaching incidents in the country’s history.

The killings come just months after new Botswanan President Mokgweetsi Masisi disbanded the country’s highly effective anti-poaching unit.

The anti-poaching unit limited poaching incidents by monitoring Botswana’s 130,000 elephants, carrying arms as they tracked large herds.

The deaths occurred near a well-known tourist attraction: the Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary.

The ivory trade was popular during much of the 20th century. Ivory was used to make piano keys and expensive, decorative items. In the past, Botswana has campaigned against a ban on the ivory trade.

“I’m shocked, I’m completely astounded. The scale of elephant poaching is by far the largest I’ve seen or read about anywhere in Africa to date,” Dr Mike Chase, who works with charity Elephants Without Borders, told the BBC this morning.

“When I compare this to figures and data from the Great Elephant Census, which I conducted in 2015, we are recording double the number of fresh poached elephants than anywhere else in Africa.”

The dead elephants were discovered by Elephants Without Borders, which using planes to survey elephant poaching from the sky.

Five white rhinos have also been killed in recent months.