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| Pencil and charcoal by Liz Peterson (draft for a painting) |
In the early morning hours of September 2012, six guards in Zakouma National Park took a moment for their dawn prayers before heading out to do their job - protecting the few remaining elephants at the park from relentless poaching. But they didn't have the chance that day, as the group was ambushed and five of the men were shot and killed. One of the guards escaped and is presumed to be dead. Zakaria Ibrahim, Brahim Khamis, Daoud Aldjouma, Djibrine Adoum Goudja and Idriss Adoum were slaughtered in what may have been a revenge killing by the poachers due to a recent raid on a poaching camp.
Demand for ivory is at an all-time high in spite of the increasingly aggressive efforts of NGOs and nations that have banned it's trade and sale. The elephant population of the Zakouma has dwindled greatly due to poaching - over 90% of the elephants in the herd have been killed in the past decade.
Sources:
http://www.african-parks.org/Park_6_45_Achievements.html
http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/09/28/elephant-guards-murdered-in-chad/
http://fightforrhinos.com/2013/02/14/wildlife-rangers-unsung-heroes-in-the-war-on-poaching/
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2013/01/05/world/africa/20130106_CHAD.html#1
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