1'01
Zemio, Central African Republic, early in the morning. Satrac has an appointment with the meat dealer.
1'12
"They are kind of small. They belong to that animal here."
1'18
A basket with 20 kilograms of smoked elephant meat from neighboring Congo. The dealer does his calculation: The tusks are weighting 800 grams and will bring him about 25 dollars. The basket of meat is worth 60 dollar. And it's just one of a total of seven baskets. The elephant was not killed for the ivory, but for the meat.
1'43
"We will bring it to Bangui, there the price is good. I'm only a middleman."
(Q Antoine Mbolifoué)
1'48
To the capital of Bangui, it is more than 600 kilometers.
Karl Ammann, a swiss photographer and conservation activist in Africa, is documenting the scene.
1'58
Q Karl Ammann
3'00
Dealing in elephant products is internationally prohibited. But here, it's fast money - and there is no control.
3'12
In 2006 alone, 23'000 elephants have been killed in Africa, experts assume. Particularly the forest elephants in the countries of central Africa are subject to heavy poaching.
3'39
South of Zemio. Crossing the Bomo river into Congo. This is the region where the meat, we saw this morning came from. Not a decade back, there were herds of hundreds of elephants roaming the area. Now, heavily armed gangs have been poaching here; ugandian LRA rebells, sudanese horsemen, congolese buccaneers.
4'07
Q Karl Ammann
4'54
Recordings from the area we just have been overflying. The butchering of an elephant.
Karl Ammann has managed to get in possession of this footage.
In order to preserve the meat, it is being smoked. Smoked meat can be stored for months. An average elephant gives around 250 kilograms of smoked meat. The meat is not so easily transported as the tusks, but for the poachers it's the main source of income: while ivory is smuggled into the international black markets, meet can be sold regionally.
5'37
"Everybody likes this meat. Even the high ranking functionaries. When they hear: "This is elephant meat," they say: "I'll take the opportunity to buy some.""
(Q Satrac Akapio)
5'56
Karl Amman says that the meat trade is neglected by the international conservation agencies:
6'03
Q Karl Ammann
7'02
The economic conditions in the border town of Zemio are poor. There are hardly any possibilities to make some cash. Its mostly subsistence farming and trying to sell some products on the local market.
7'18
But the meat trade is different. Satrac travels by bike to the hamlet of Gadia. He knows that this is the place where the poachers from the Congo are selling their goods.
We talk to the chief. He is cautious.
7'33
"There is some meat coming from the Congo, but not on a regular basis."
"The ones going there for their small hunt, this is what brings them some money."
(Qs Joseph Mbolingbagbe)
7'51
The monkeys are for sale, too. But this hamlet is in fact into the elephant meat business, Satrac reassures:
8'03
"This guy, when the meat arrives, he is the one guarding it. He sends out his people to look for customers in Zemio, then they will buy the meet from his hideout there. This is really the meat garage. "
(Q Satrac Akapio)
8'29
The meat business in Zemio is important. Karl Amman has received a import tax chart from the mayor's office. The bush meat from the Congo is taxed, when imported.
A dead monkey is 70 cents. A bag of smoked elephant meat 2.50 dollars.
8'50
Q Karl Ammann
10'07
In flight to the capital of Central African Republic CAR, to the town of Bangui. The 2007 worldwide quality of living survey has listed Bangui last but two, just in front of Brazzaville and Baghdad.
10'25
Overlooking the river Oubangui, border river to Congo. Goods are transported by small boats. A barrel of palm-oil is debarked.
10'38
The military forces are present all over town. The infamous presidential guard is in charge for internal security.
10'43
"We we don't provoke, we are calm. But if somebody provokes us, we bite. Because we are the scorpions.
(Q Officer)
10'52
The scorpions are a unit of the presidential guard.
Since years the CAR is in a crisis: military coups, civil wars, widespread banditry.
11'06
Junior Ngae, nickname "Bokassa", a sergeant of the presidential guard, has agreed to escort Karl Ammann through town. For 15 dollars a day.
11'25
"Give me your money!"
11'31
"Bokassa" is also respected by the street children.
11'36
The meat market in the district of Bimbo. Bush meet from all over the country is brought to this place.
11'46
"This is a monkey, it's 3.50 dollars."
11'50
Bush meat is quite expensive, but popular.
11'55
"I can't eat cow meat every day!" - Why not? "I want to eat smoked meat!"
12'01
The supply is abundant. Elephant meat is easy to find, too. This is a cardboard full of it. Elephant meat is a delicacy in town. A kilogram goes for almost 10 dollars. This is nearly half of an average monthly income.
12'20
The commodity is well guarded:
12'23
"We're keeping it in our store, in order to protect from thieves."
(Q Josiane Dwili)
12'35
A ten minutes drive from the bush meat market we find the souvenir shops. Ivory is sold openly here.
12'47
"There are no tourists in town. Business is not going well at all."
- Who buys the ivory?
"Mostly the safari hunters, and the french military, too."
(Q Shopkeeper)
13'00
Tableaus, made out of butterfly wings.
13'07
"This has been a very small elephant"
- "If you like, we can bring you some larger teeth..."
13'15
At the jeweler's. Chinese are interested in ivory. In Asia a kilogram of ivory costs more than 600 dollars. In Bangui you can get it for around 30 dollars.
13'31
Refueling for the journey to Bayanga. We are heading to Africa's most famous protected area for forest elephants, to the Dzanga Sangha Reserve. It's in the southernmost corner of the CAR, in the deep woods of the Congo basin, world's second largest forested region.
13'49
Forestry roads have been cut through the jungle. There are logging camps and sawmills in this once isolated area. The home range of the forest elephants is under pressure. Industrial logging opens up whole new areas for bush meat hunting.
14'09
The town of Bayanga was founded as a logging camp. Now its population is 4000.
14'14
Touchdown.
14'28
Twenty years ago WWF initiated, in collaboration with the government, the Dzanga Sangha Special Reserve and National Park. There are 316 different types of butterfly. But Dzanga Sangha is known for forest elephants. Less then a two hours walk from Bayanga, there is a clearing called the "village of the elephants", the Dzanga Bai.
14'52
The elephants come to this saline to consume the particularly mineral-rich soil. Dirt consumption allows them to overcome mineral deficiencies in their diet.
Forest elephants have a smaller size than the savanna elephants. In fact, DNA testing showed they are a own species. Japanese carvers prefer forest elephant ivory.
Recent studies came to the finding, that the elephant population of Dzanga Sangha is under serious threat by illegal poaching.
15'27
Not even the Dzanga Bai, the centerpiece of the National Park is safe from poachers. They have already misused the tourist mirador as a base of operations. The project management was forced to instal a permanent guard post nearby. Heavily armed they watch out for poachers.
15'44
"Sometimes they come here with weapons of war, like AK-47."
(Q Zéphirien Sosso-Mbele, Guard)
15'50
"They have been on the mirador, they waited for the elephants to come to the clearing in order to shoot them."
(Q Antoine Somset, Guard)
15'58
"We are always threatened. When we catch a poacher and bring him to the police, they are often released again. And we are seen in a bad light. Our job is very ungrateful.
16'14
Where there are no guards, the poachers are at ease, they are taking the tusks and also the meat. But here in the park, they know we are here to protect, so they just take the tusks quickly and leave."
(Q Zéphirien Sosso-Mbele, Guard)
15'34
The game guards are struggling to fight poaching, which is a major threat to Dzanga Sangha, which has the most important elephant population in CAR.
15'44
Q Karl Ammann
17'28
The Ba-Aka pygmies are the indigenous people of the region. Foreign influence has arrived some 40 years ago. Now they celebrate the 1. of May, with the symbolic banishment of the evil spirit of the woods.
17'43
Pygmies are subject to societal discrimination. They are often considered to be the slaves of other ethnic groups. Poachers tend to take advantage of them too, tells the chief of the village:
17'57
"The most important guy is the one owning the gun. He sends out his men and they tell us to assist them in hunting the elephants; we have to carry the meat out for example. They make promises, like we are to receive 50 cents, or the will give us a share of the proceeds. But all we ever get is a cup of palm wine."
(Q Gabriel Mabele - Chief of the village Mosapula)
18'22
Pilot Ron Pontier is doing the translation. The Ba-Akas are telling that part of the elephant meat s consumed locally, part of it is transported to Bangui by truck.
18'45
A bungalow at the project's site. Researcher Andrea Turkalo is kind of the Jane Godall of forest elephants. She talks to WWF officials. Conservation might be important to them, but it is not to the local villagers and the CAR government.
19'03
Q Andrea Turkalo - Forest Elephant Researcher
19'38
A pinch of snuff.
19'42
This is Désiré Loa. He has the reputation to be a well known poacher.
19'50
What's that?
"This is elephant trunk."
19'54
In the pot: more elephant meat. Loa is not afraid to show it.
19'58
"You know, the elephant thing is strictly forbidden. But there are thieves and people who manage to escape somehow."
(Q Désiré Loa)
20'10
Q Andrea Turkalo
20'44
Bayanga, population 4000. Conversation is not a concern to them, they have to hunt in order to get food.
20'53
The local bars are frequented as early as morning. Local palm wine is served.
Palm wine, one of the hundred jobs with the WWF project - and poaching: these are the only things generating money in Bayanga.
21'11
"If one kills all the elephants - what will our children see? This is good for our country also."
- So you like elephants, you don't buy elephant meat?
"No...ohm...anyhow, if an elephant is killed, you can eat it.
- Is it expensive?
"No, a piece like this costs 4 dollars. You can eat it, but only from time to time, not every day."
(Q Irène Danos)
21'44
"You see, a family can use bush meat for two days, If they buy chicken for the same price, it will only be enough for lunch. And there is no pisciculture, no live stock breeding, no agriculture."
(Q Moise Wabelylelyen)
21'58
"The project does not help us. We are always struggling. A baby like this, there are no means to help him, to buy clothes, to get some food. We are suffering."
(Q Jean Koni)
22'15
"The people of the project are nasty (méchant)."
(Q Barthélemy Ngalao)
This is a problem?
Yes it is - especially for the bush meat traders in the market.
22'26
"It's finished."
22'30
But some People still putting their hopes in WWF:
22'33
"We would like the WWF cooperating with the population, they should help. There should be some vocational training, like this the young guys will be busy and no one will touch the forest any more."
(Q Oustas Adamou)
22'45
"I'm hunting and I'm fishing. There is nothing else to do here."
(Q Symphonien Nguendo)
22'55
The local saw mill has discontinued operations two years ago leaving the workers on their own.
23'00
Q Karl Ammann
23'30
The WWF Lodge. Tourism is not big in Bayanga, little more than a 1000 tourists a year come to this faraway place. And the conservation project is not anchored whit the locals.
23'49
Q Karl Ammann
24'25
49 Guards paid by WWF are on duty in the reserve. Their mission is to cover a range of 3'500 square kilometers. Patrols are effected by foot, in dense mosquito ridden forest.
24'50
Finding snares is the daily business for the guards. This metal snares are used by the villagers in order to catch smaller game, which is prohibited in the National Park zone.
25'10
A rest. Which are the trends in poaching?
25'14
"In recent times it's not about the ivory, it is about the meat. If a poacher kills an elephant that has tusks not even weighting 500 grams, then he is not looking for the ivory, but for the meat. Outside this territory that meet can be sold at high prices."
(Q Omer Kokameko, Guard)
25'33"
They try to bring it to Lipongo in Cameroon as fast as possible. But most of it goes to (the district town of) Nola. A peace of elephant meet costs up to 7 dollars there."
(Q François Koyanede, Guard)
25'47
Researcher Andrea Turkalo has the experience of almost 20 years of studies in Dzanga Sangha.
25'53
Q Andrea Turkalo
26'15
The office of the "Sous-prefet" in Bayanga. He is the highest ranking government official in the region. He does not deal with law enforcement, he says. He points to the international side of the problem.
26'28
"Sometimes you just find the elephant carcass in the forest and you don't catch the poachers. So how can we know the direction of the illegal goods? The direction must be to you, to Europe and to Asia. Its like a chain: If you encourage us by not buying our ivory, we will be encouraged not to kill our elephants."
(Q Paul Vessiot Tanga, Sous-Préfet Bayanga Region)
26'54
The game guards presenting some tusks - and a poacher's weapon, a AK-47.
27'02
Cyril Pélissier of France is the head of the guards. Last year his team has found the remains of 8 poached elephants. The guards guess is that in this period of time a total of around a hundred elephants have been killed in Dzanga Sangha. area.
27'18
"The ivory and first of all the meat are making elephants to a commodity like diamonds and timber. Without the project there wouldn't be any elephants left at all."
27'29
"This is a "Mauser" and this is its french counterpart of WWII, the MAS 36. They are often used to shoot elephants."
(Q Cyril Pélissier - Technical Conservation Advisor WWF)
27'38
Old but effective.
27'44
"This is a piece of elephant meat. We arrived in a camp but the poachers escaped. So we took this peace in order to mount a process."
(Q Josué Nambama, Conservateur des Aires Protégés de Dzanga-Sangha, appointed by the CAR government)
27'54
The bad thing for the guards is, that hardly ever a poacher gets convicted and jailed according to the law.
28'01
"We arrest them and transfer them to the tribunal in (the district town of) Nola. And often - despite all our communication with the legal authorities, our cases are not followed and as a matter of fact the guys spend just a very short time in jail, then they are freed or manage to escape.
28'25
Big poaching - you have to keep that in mind - asks for a lot of means, a rifle to shot an elephant is costly, the ammunition is costly, so often people who are relatively powerful are linked to that business. So there is a lot of economical or political pressure that leads to the result that the convicts can escape easily in most of the cases."
(Q Cyril Pélissier - Technical Conservation Advisor WWF)
28'47
Poachers are well protected. Désiré Loa , surrounded by his fellows, says, he knows the backers.
28'54
"How should a guy like me find the cash to buy a big gun to shoot an elephant? The big functionaries are buying the guns and give them to the pygmies in order to hunt the elephants.
The police commander, the prefect, the prosecutor, the functionaries who earn their money with the government, they bring the weapons."
(Q Désiré Loa)
29'16
Early morning fog over the river Sangha. Karl Amman sets the focus on government quality and law enforcement:
29'29
Q Karl Ammann
29'42
Q Andrea Turkalo
30'02
Everybody knows it, hardly anybody does something. Like this, the elephants in Dzanga Sangha are facing hard times.
------------------
Sound and Image till 30'32
Zemio, Central African Republic, early in the morning. Satrac has an appointment with the meat dealer.
1'12
"They are kind of small. They belong to that animal here."
1'18
A basket with 20 kilograms of smoked elephant meat from neighboring Congo. The dealer does his calculation: The tusks are weighting 800 grams and will bring him about 25 dollars. The basket of meat is worth 60 dollar. And it's just one of a total of seven baskets. The elephant was not killed for the ivory, but for the meat.
1'43
"We will bring it to Bangui, there the price is good. I'm only a middleman."
(Q Antoine Mbolifoué)
1'48
To the capital of Bangui, it is more than 600 kilometers.
Karl Ammann, a swiss photographer and conservation activist in Africa, is documenting the scene.
1'58
Q Karl Ammann
3'00
Dealing in elephant products is internationally prohibited. But here, it's fast money - and there is no control.
3'12
In 2006 alone, 23'000 elephants have been killed in Africa, experts assume. Particularly the forest elephants in the countries of central Africa are subject to heavy poaching.
3'39
South of Zemio. Crossing the Bomo river into Congo. This is the region where the meat, we saw this morning came from. Not a decade back, there were herds of hundreds of elephants roaming the area. Now, heavily armed gangs have been poaching here; ugandian LRA rebells, sudanese horsemen, congolese buccaneers.
4'07
Q Karl Ammann
4'54
Recordings from the area we just have been overflying. The butchering of an elephant.
Karl Ammann has managed to get in possession of this footage.
In order to preserve the meat, it is being smoked. Smoked meat can be stored for months. An average elephant gives around 250 kilograms of smoked meat. The meat is not so easily transported as the tusks, but for the poachers it's the main source of income: while ivory is smuggled into the international black markets, meet can be sold regionally.
5'37
"Everybody likes this meat. Even the high ranking functionaries. When they hear: "This is elephant meat," they say: "I'll take the opportunity to buy some.""
(Q Satrac Akapio)
5'56
Karl Amman says that the meat trade is neglected by the international conservation agencies:
6'03
Q Karl Ammann
7'02
The economic conditions in the border town of Zemio are poor. There are hardly any possibilities to make some cash. Its mostly subsistence farming and trying to sell some products on the local market.
7'18
But the meat trade is different. Satrac travels by bike to the hamlet of Gadia. He knows that this is the place where the poachers from the Congo are selling their goods.
We talk to the chief. He is cautious.
7'33
"There is some meat coming from the Congo, but not on a regular basis."
"The ones going there for their small hunt, this is what brings them some money."
(Qs Joseph Mbolingbagbe)
7'51
The monkeys are for sale, too. But this hamlet is in fact into the elephant meat business, Satrac reassures:
8'03
"This guy, when the meat arrives, he is the one guarding it. He sends out his people to look for customers in Zemio, then they will buy the meet from his hideout there. This is really the meat garage. "
(Q Satrac Akapio)
8'29
The meat business in Zemio is important. Karl Amman has received a import tax chart from the mayor's office. The bush meat from the Congo is taxed, when imported.
A dead monkey is 70 cents. A bag of smoked elephant meat 2.50 dollars.
8'50
Q Karl Ammann
10'07
In flight to the capital of Central African Republic CAR, to the town of Bangui. The 2007 worldwide quality of living survey has listed Bangui last but two, just in front of Brazzaville and Baghdad.
10'25
Overlooking the river Oubangui, border river to Congo. Goods are transported by small boats. A barrel of palm-oil is debarked.
10'38
The military forces are present all over town. The infamous presidential guard is in charge for internal security.
10'43
"We we don't provoke, we are calm. But if somebody provokes us, we bite. Because we are the scorpions.
(Q Officer)
10'52
The scorpions are a unit of the presidential guard.
Since years the CAR is in a crisis: military coups, civil wars, widespread banditry.
11'06
Junior Ngae, nickname "Bokassa", a sergeant of the presidential guard, has agreed to escort Karl Ammann through town. For 15 dollars a day.
11'25
"Give me your money!"
11'31
"Bokassa" is also respected by the street children.
11'36
The meat market in the district of Bimbo. Bush meet from all over the country is brought to this place.
11'46
"This is a monkey, it's 3.50 dollars."
11'50
Bush meat is quite expensive, but popular.
11'55
"I can't eat cow meat every day!" - Why not? "I want to eat smoked meat!"
12'01
The supply is abundant. Elephant meat is easy to find, too. This is a cardboard full of it. Elephant meat is a delicacy in town. A kilogram goes for almost 10 dollars. This is nearly half of an average monthly income.
12'20
The commodity is well guarded:
12'23
"We're keeping it in our store, in order to protect from thieves."
(Q Josiane Dwili)
12'35
A ten minutes drive from the bush meat market we find the souvenir shops. Ivory is sold openly here.
12'47
"There are no tourists in town. Business is not going well at all."
- Who buys the ivory?
"Mostly the safari hunters, and the french military, too."
(Q Shopkeeper)
13'00
Tableaus, made out of butterfly wings.
13'07
"This has been a very small elephant"
- "If you like, we can bring you some larger teeth..."
13'15
At the jeweler's. Chinese are interested in ivory. In Asia a kilogram of ivory costs more than 600 dollars. In Bangui you can get it for around 30 dollars.
13'31
Refueling for the journey to Bayanga. We are heading to Africa's most famous protected area for forest elephants, to the Dzanga Sangha Reserve. It's in the southernmost corner of the CAR, in the deep woods of the Congo basin, world's second largest forested region.
13'49
Forestry roads have been cut through the jungle. There are logging camps and sawmills in this once isolated area. The home range of the forest elephants is under pressure. Industrial logging opens up whole new areas for bush meat hunting.
14'09
The town of Bayanga was founded as a logging camp. Now its population is 4000.
14'14
Touchdown.
14'28
Twenty years ago WWF initiated, in collaboration with the government, the Dzanga Sangha Special Reserve and National Park. There are 316 different types of butterfly. But Dzanga Sangha is known for forest elephants. Less then a two hours walk from Bayanga, there is a clearing called the "village of the elephants", the Dzanga Bai.
14'52
The elephants come to this saline to consume the particularly mineral-rich soil. Dirt consumption allows them to overcome mineral deficiencies in their diet.
Forest elephants have a smaller size than the savanna elephants. In fact, DNA testing showed they are a own species. Japanese carvers prefer forest elephant ivory.
Recent studies came to the finding, that the elephant population of Dzanga Sangha is under serious threat by illegal poaching.
15'27
Not even the Dzanga Bai, the centerpiece of the National Park is safe from poachers. They have already misused the tourist mirador as a base of operations. The project management was forced to instal a permanent guard post nearby. Heavily armed they watch out for poachers.
15'44
"Sometimes they come here with weapons of war, like AK-47."
(Q Zéphirien Sosso-Mbele, Guard)
15'50
"They have been on the mirador, they waited for the elephants to come to the clearing in order to shoot them."
(Q Antoine Somset, Guard)
15'58
"We are always threatened. When we catch a poacher and bring him to the police, they are often released again. And we are seen in a bad light. Our job is very ungrateful.
16'14
Where there are no guards, the poachers are at ease, they are taking the tusks and also the meat. But here in the park, they know we are here to protect, so they just take the tusks quickly and leave."
(Q Zéphirien Sosso-Mbele, Guard)
15'34
The game guards are struggling to fight poaching, which is a major threat to Dzanga Sangha, which has the most important elephant population in CAR.
15'44
Q Karl Ammann
17'28
The Ba-Aka pygmies are the indigenous people of the region. Foreign influence has arrived some 40 years ago. Now they celebrate the 1. of May, with the symbolic banishment of the evil spirit of the woods.
17'43
Pygmies are subject to societal discrimination. They are often considered to be the slaves of other ethnic groups. Poachers tend to take advantage of them too, tells the chief of the village:
17'57
"The most important guy is the one owning the gun. He sends out his men and they tell us to assist them in hunting the elephants; we have to carry the meat out for example. They make promises, like we are to receive 50 cents, or the will give us a share of the proceeds. But all we ever get is a cup of palm wine."
(Q Gabriel Mabele - Chief of the village Mosapula)
18'22
Pilot Ron Pontier is doing the translation. The Ba-Akas are telling that part of the elephant meat s consumed locally, part of it is transported to Bangui by truck.
18'45
A bungalow at the project's site. Researcher Andrea Turkalo is kind of the Jane Godall of forest elephants. She talks to WWF officials. Conservation might be important to them, but it is not to the local villagers and the CAR government.
19'03
Q Andrea Turkalo - Forest Elephant Researcher
19'38
A pinch of snuff.
19'42
This is Désiré Loa. He has the reputation to be a well known poacher.
19'50
What's that?
"This is elephant trunk."
19'54
In the pot: more elephant meat. Loa is not afraid to show it.
19'58
"You know, the elephant thing is strictly forbidden. But there are thieves and people who manage to escape somehow."
(Q Désiré Loa)
20'10
Q Andrea Turkalo
20'44
Bayanga, population 4000. Conversation is not a concern to them, they have to hunt in order to get food.
20'53
The local bars are frequented as early as morning. Local palm wine is served.
Palm wine, one of the hundred jobs with the WWF project - and poaching: these are the only things generating money in Bayanga.
21'11
"If one kills all the elephants - what will our children see? This is good for our country also."
- So you like elephants, you don't buy elephant meat?
"No...ohm...anyhow, if an elephant is killed, you can eat it.
- Is it expensive?
"No, a piece like this costs 4 dollars. You can eat it, but only from time to time, not every day."
(Q Irène Danos)
21'44
"You see, a family can use bush meat for two days, If they buy chicken for the same price, it will only be enough for lunch. And there is no pisciculture, no live stock breeding, no agriculture."
(Q Moise Wabelylelyen)
21'58
"The project does not help us. We are always struggling. A baby like this, there are no means to help him, to buy clothes, to get some food. We are suffering."
(Q Jean Koni)
22'15
"The people of the project are nasty (méchant)."
(Q Barthélemy Ngalao)
This is a problem?
Yes it is - especially for the bush meat traders in the market.
22'26
"It's finished."
22'30
But some People still putting their hopes in WWF:
22'33
"We would like the WWF cooperating with the population, they should help. There should be some vocational training, like this the young guys will be busy and no one will touch the forest any more."
(Q Oustas Adamou)
22'45
"I'm hunting and I'm fishing. There is nothing else to do here."
(Q Symphonien Nguendo)
22'55
The local saw mill has discontinued operations two years ago leaving the workers on their own.
23'00
Q Karl Ammann
23'30
The WWF Lodge. Tourism is not big in Bayanga, little more than a 1000 tourists a year come to this faraway place. And the conservation project is not anchored whit the locals.
23'49
Q Karl Ammann
24'25
49 Guards paid by WWF are on duty in the reserve. Their mission is to cover a range of 3'500 square kilometers. Patrols are effected by foot, in dense mosquito ridden forest.
24'50
Finding snares is the daily business for the guards. This metal snares are used by the villagers in order to catch smaller game, which is prohibited in the National Park zone.
25'10
A rest. Which are the trends in poaching?
25'14
"In recent times it's not about the ivory, it is about the meat. If a poacher kills an elephant that has tusks not even weighting 500 grams, then he is not looking for the ivory, but for the meat. Outside this territory that meet can be sold at high prices."
(Q Omer Kokameko, Guard)
25'33"
They try to bring it to Lipongo in Cameroon as fast as possible. But most of it goes to (the district town of) Nola. A peace of elephant meet costs up to 7 dollars there."
(Q François Koyanede, Guard)
25'47
Researcher Andrea Turkalo has the experience of almost 20 years of studies in Dzanga Sangha.
25'53
Q Andrea Turkalo
26'15
The office of the "Sous-prefet" in Bayanga. He is the highest ranking government official in the region. He does not deal with law enforcement, he says. He points to the international side of the problem.
26'28
"Sometimes you just find the elephant carcass in the forest and you don't catch the poachers. So how can we know the direction of the illegal goods? The direction must be to you, to Europe and to Asia. Its like a chain: If you encourage us by not buying our ivory, we will be encouraged not to kill our elephants."
(Q Paul Vessiot Tanga, Sous-Préfet Bayanga Region)
26'54
The game guards presenting some tusks - and a poacher's weapon, a AK-47.
27'02
Cyril Pélissier of France is the head of the guards. Last year his team has found the remains of 8 poached elephants. The guards guess is that in this period of time a total of around a hundred elephants have been killed in Dzanga Sangha. area.
27'18
"The ivory and first of all the meat are making elephants to a commodity like diamonds and timber. Without the project there wouldn't be any elephants left at all."
27'29
"This is a "Mauser" and this is its french counterpart of WWII, the MAS 36. They are often used to shoot elephants."
(Q Cyril Pélissier - Technical Conservation Advisor WWF)
27'38
Old but effective.
27'44
"This is a piece of elephant meat. We arrived in a camp but the poachers escaped. So we took this peace in order to mount a process."
(Q Josué Nambama, Conservateur des Aires Protégés de Dzanga-Sangha, appointed by the CAR government)
27'54
The bad thing for the guards is, that hardly ever a poacher gets convicted and jailed according to the law.
28'01
"We arrest them and transfer them to the tribunal in (the district town of) Nola. And often - despite all our communication with the legal authorities, our cases are not followed and as a matter of fact the guys spend just a very short time in jail, then they are freed or manage to escape.
28'25
Big poaching - you have to keep that in mind - asks for a lot of means, a rifle to shot an elephant is costly, the ammunition is costly, so often people who are relatively powerful are linked to that business. So there is a lot of economical or political pressure that leads to the result that the convicts can escape easily in most of the cases."
(Q Cyril Pélissier - Technical Conservation Advisor WWF)
28'47
Poachers are well protected. Désiré Loa , surrounded by his fellows, says, he knows the backers.
28'54
"How should a guy like me find the cash to buy a big gun to shoot an elephant? The big functionaries are buying the guns and give them to the pygmies in order to hunt the elephants.
The police commander, the prefect, the prosecutor, the functionaries who earn their money with the government, they bring the weapons."
(Q Désiré Loa)
29'16
Early morning fog over the river Sangha. Karl Amman sets the focus on government quality and law enforcement:
29'29
Q Karl Ammann
29'42
Q Andrea Turkalo
30'02
Everybody knows it, hardly anybody does something. Like this, the elephants in Dzanga Sangha are facing hard times.
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Sound and Image till 30'32