Tragic news for today, dear readers.
DRC authorities have just confiscated about 200 kgs of ivory near the Zambian border. The owners of the different parcels haven’t been arrested since they managed to run away.
J.A.C.K. is a sanctuary rescuing great apes. But J.A.C.K. main mission is to stop illicit trade of endangered species (death or alive) and to enforce wildlife laws of the DRC. Therefore, Sanctuary Founder and President Franck Chantereau was called by the authorities to help and provide them with some advice regarding this important confiscation which, to our knowledge, is the LARGEST IVORY CONFISCATION ever made in Katanga Province, South Democratic Republic of the Congo!
When at the High Court, Franck Chantereau undoubtedly witnessed the terrible slaughter. Together with state agents he opened different parcels and counted not less than 100 elephant tusks which had been cut and hidden in boxes together with 116 cow horns – a common technique used by the traders to lure officials at the borders.
The Governor of Katanga, the Vice Governor of Katanga and the Public Prosecutor of the Republic attended the tragic evidence and firmly condemned this horrible slaughter through local TV and Radio. They also warned anyone dealing with such fraudulous activity!
J.A.C.K. Sanctuary has been greatly thanked for its support.
And for Franck Chantereau it has been an oppotunity to congratulate all participants concerned as well as to deeply deplore the slaughter of about 50 elephants that would have ended in jewelry items on Asian markets!
Will there ever be an end to all that killing?
It’s been several years now J.A.C.K. suspected the city of Lubumbashi had become a transfer point to dispatch ivory to the world. This confiscation has proven the trade really exists and we do hope this legal intervention will help dismantle other mafia-style networks!
We have no words when seeing all these tusks. All these lives lost for money, how can people act like this and just ignore they are destroying our planet? Today we are only somewhat satisfied that these parcels will never reach their destination!