Notorious Ivory Poacher Arrested
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM

Friends of Animals
November 2015

Tanzania lost around 85,000 elephants to poaching between 2009 and 2014.

Mariango was responsible for the deaths of thousands of elephants over the years and he was the most wanted poacher and trafficker in Tanzania.

We have a big cheer today for another huge step forward in the war against the ivory poaching as officials announce they have arrested notorious elephant poacher Boniface Matthew Mariango, referred to by law enforcement officials as “Shetani” or “The Devil,” after a manhunt that lasted for over one year.

This major arrest follows the recent arrest of the Queen of Ivory, Jang Feng Glan earlier this month. This most recent arrest is the second high-profile wildlife criminal who will face prosecution this year.

Mariango was responsible for the deaths of thousands of elephants over the years and he was the most wanted poacher and trafficker in Tanzania. His operations extended to 15 other operations that existed in Zimbabwe, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania and Burundi.

According to an elephant census, Tanzania lost around 85,000 elephants to poaching between 2009 and 2014. Wildlife conservationists say that the massive Chinese demand for ivory fuels poaching in Africa, and a report by World Wildlife Fund Hong Kong last month said Hong Kong, with the world’s largest retail ivory market, also contributes to this.

“This arrest is yet another substantial breakthrough in Tanzania’s anti-poaching and anti-trafficking efforts, with implications also reaching into neighboring countries. Finally, we see big fish getting caught in the law enforcement net,” said Andrea Crosta, co-founder of the Elephant Action League and the WildLeaks initiative.

A senior government official also said that they have overwhelming evidence against Shetani. He was responsible for the supply of transport, weapons and ammunition to poachers in Tanzania and well beyond the borders.

In order to put a stop to the the buying and selling of animal parts, like ivory, as commodities Friends of Animals has been working diligently to help stop trophy hunting in its tracks and drafted a bill called “Cecil’s Law”, that would implement a statewide ban on the importation, possession, sale or transportation of the remains of the five big game species native to Africa (the African elephant, lion, leopard, black rhino and white rhino, all of whom are threatened by illegal poaching and sport hunting and are currently facing extinction.) Learn more about the bill on our website. 

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