Crossroads of Crisis: Northern Cameroon's Poaching Epidemic (5-minute Video)

Between 2011 and 2012, caravans of Sudanese poachers decimated Northern Cameroon's elephant population with shocking speed. Where elephants were once a daily sight, all signs of them disappeared entirely.

The poachers operated in heavily armed groups of 25 to 30 men, traveling on camels and horses. Whenever Professional Hunter Guav Johnson or his teams discovered their fresh tracks, they had to withdraw from the area to avoid dangerous confrontations.

The Sudanese poachers' route was methodical. They crossed through Chad from Sudan, entering Cameroon along its eastern boundary, where they established and systematically destroyed the elephant herds.

Officials found a single location where over 80 elephants had been slaughtered within a 200-meter square area. The poachers only harvested the ivory, leaving the carcasses untouched. All elephants were targeted, including calves and cows, whatever the size of the tusks.

The poaching crisis has overwhelmed local conservation resources. Previously, one professional hunter would oversee anti-poaching efforts for each hunting concession. Now, the volume of poaching has become unmanageable.

"Despite our best efforts with available resources, we're losing the battle," states Johnson. "The poaching success rate far outweighs our anti-poaching activities significantly."

The region holds particular importance as one of the last refuges for Lord Derby eland populations. The Central African Republic might harbor some remaining herds, but ongoing conflict makes their future uncertain.