Zimbabwe wildlife department: poachers kill 10 elephants in single attack

Poachers kill 10 elephants in Zimbabwe

HARARE, Zimbabwe — The state wildlife authority says poachers killed 10 elephants in a single attack in southeastern Zimbabwe. All the tusks were removed, leaving the carcasses on a river bank.

Caroline Washaya-Moyo, an official of the wildlife department, says heavy caliber cartridge cases were found at the remote scene in the Gonarezhou national park on Zimbabwe’s border with Mozambique. Investigators reported the animals were shot and the ivory was removed in what appeared to be a “quick and professional” onslaught in a single day last week.

Germany’s Frankfurt Zoological Society has offered $1,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the poachers, Washaya-Moyo said Thursday.

In the nation’s ailing economy, state anti-poaching patrols are suffering from shortages in funds, transportation and manpower.