An additional 26 African elephants were poisoned with cyanide

Elephant poaching in Zimbabwe continued to increase as park rangers at a national park discovered 26 more elephants dying of cyanide poisoning.

The number of African elephants is depleted because of poisoning

According to Caroline Washaya-Moyo, a spokesman for Hwange National Park, the forest rangers patrolled the park to find the 16 elephants in the Lupande area and 10 others in Chakabvi on October 13. In addition, they discovered 14 sets of ivory left behind.

40 elephants in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, were poisoned for ivory within two weeks.(Photo: Vaugham Leiberum / Flickr).

A week earlier, the AP reported, 14 elephants died of cyanide poisoning in three different locations in the park.

"It is possible that poachers are working to find out that the rangers are patrolling, which is why they leave some of the ivory sets. Elephant poisoning with cyanide is becoming a big problem here and we are working hard. controlling the situation, " Trevor Lane, founder of the Bhejani Trust organization shared.

Cyanide poison is very easy to buy because it is widely used in the mining industry in Zimbabwe. Forest rangers seized one kilogram of cyanide at the site.

In 2013, 300 elephants in Hwange National Park died due to poachers mixing cyanide into salt lakes. Washaya-Moyo said the authorities are investigating the incident and the park has stepped up patrols.

The number of elephants in Africa and Asia becomes exhausted by ivory trade. According to last year's report by National Geographic, poachers killed 100,000 African elephants over a three-year period and the number of elephants in Central Africa decreased by 64% in a decade.