Army chopper cited in elephant poaching

A herd of elephants at Queen Elizabeth national park. There is a dramatic increase in elephant killing for their prized tusks. Uganda lost 25 elephants through illegal killings in 2011. AFP PHOTO 

KAMPALA.

The Uganda Peoples Defence Forces has denied allegations that one of its helicopters may have been involved in elephant poaching in the Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Garamba National Park officials investigated a poaching incident in which 22 elephants were killed in March in one of the biggest elephant poaching incidents the park has witnessed in recent history.

Park investigators say the poaching could have taken place around March 15 but the elephant carcasses were found on March 18 this year. Several weeks later, a military green helicopter with the registration number AF 605, was photographed flying “suspiciously low” over the park. Park authorities and UN Mission officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) later traced the aircraft to Uganda.

UPDF Spokesperson Col. Felix Kulayigye, however, dismissed the allegations linking the UPDF to the incident as ‘nonsense’. “The UPDF completely left the DRC in December 2011. We have no business there and we have never gone back there. Let them provide the evidence. This is a clear attempt to undermine the achievement of this great army,” Col. Kulayigye told Sunday Monitor in an interview.

Garamba Park authorities say it is the only aircraft that ventured “suspiciously around the park.”
UPDF Air force Chief of Staff Brig. Moses Rwakitarate confirmed to this newspaper that the helicopter with the registration number AF 605 belongs to the UPDF but dismissed allegations it could have been involved in the poaching incident. “That aircraft is a troop carrier and yes, it passed over Garamba many times on its way to and from our Nzara Airbase. The UPDF can never involve itself in such dirt and illegal activities,” Brig Rwakitarate said.

A Park official investigating the poaching told this newspaper: “A military, troop-carrying helicopter was spotted flying at low level within the park on two occasions - on April 6 and April 10.

On the second occasion, a park ground patrol photographed the helicopter, which was flying slowly from west to east within the park. From the photographs the helicopter has been identified as a Russian manufactured Mi-17 troop-carrying helicopter,” the source added. The source provided photographs of the helicopter, AF 605, which they said had been taken in Garamba National Park. Sunday Monitor could not independently confirm where the photos were taken from.

In an interview with this newspaper, the park’s manager, Mr Luis Arranz, said: “We are continuing our investigation into this professional poaching attack and are offering a substantial reward for concrete information leading to the identification of the perpetrators.”
He said they would stop at nothing to catch the perpetrators.
“Garamba’s elephants represent one of the largest remaining Central African elephant populations and we are determined to do everything we can to bring the poachers to account and ensure that the park’s remaining elephants are protected.”

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/UPDF+chopper+cited+in+Congo+elephant+hunt/-/688334/1508292/-/bej3dsz/-/index.html