In an unprecedented and encouraging move, a criminal court in the Congo has sentenced an elephant poacher and wildlife trafficker to 30 years in prison. The poacher, known as Guyvanho, is believed to have killed hundreds of elephants in Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park. Having escaped from prison in 2018, he was re-captured after attempting to murder park rangers last year. Guyvanho is the first wildlife trafficker convicted in Congo’s Criminal Court. Previously all environmental crimes were tried in the civil courts with a five year maximum penalty. The Elephant Crisis Fund helped partner, Wildlife Conservation Society, support the three-year investigation. Read more here.
