Surveys suggest that one in every three elephants in what was once a sanctuary for forest elephants has been taken for ivory trinkets.“This sad news from Gabon confirms that without a global commitment, great elephant populations will soon become a thing of the past,” said WCS President and CEO Cristián Samper, in a WCS news release. “We believe that elephants can still be saved—but only if nations greatly increase their efforts to stop poaching while eliminating the illegal ivory trade through better enforcement and reduced demand.”

According to WCS, a significant increase in human activity in Minkebe and its buffer zone was detected 18 months ago. “A small camp of 300 artisanal gold miners had expanded to over 5,000 miners, poachers, and arms and drugs dealers. Park authorities estimated that 50-100 elephants were being killed daily as a result of increases in demand for ivory from the Far East and resulting price hike.” Via, nationalgeographic.com