2013day.year
Forty-one elephants are poisoned with cyanide in salt pans, by poachers in Hwange National Park.
Poachers poison 41 elephants with cyanide in Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park in one of the worst wildlife massacres.
On September 6, 2013, poachers laced salt pans in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, with lethal cyanide targeting elephants for ivory.
Forty-one elephants collapsed and died after ingesting the poisoned water at watering holes.
Park rangers discovered the carnage and launched an urgent anti-poaching operation amidst challenging terrain.
The use of cyanide marked an escalation in brutality within the illegal ivory trade.
Conservationists condemned the massacre and called for stronger international measures against wildlife crime.
Zimbabwean authorities responded by increasing patrols, deploying sniffer dogs, and enhancing aerial surveillance.
A dedicated task force was established to dismantle poaching networks and protect the park's remaining elephant herds.
2013
cyanide
Hwange National Park