Over 80 elephants in Zimbabwe have been poisoned and killed the last four months by poachers who make money from selling the animal's tusks on the black market.
Since May, 87 elephant carcasses have been discovered at Hwange National Park, according to Caroline Washaya-Moyo, public relations manager for Zimbabwe's Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.
Poachers poisoned natural salt licks to take down the gigantic animals.
Park employees have recovered 51 tusks so far, meaning approximately 123 tusks are in the hands of poachers.
Environment Minister Saviour Kasukuwere said to CNN that he is going to "push for stiffer jail penalties to root out poaching in the wildlife-rich African nation."
"That will be one of my missions in the new parliament, given the recent case of elephants which were poisoned by poachers," said Kasukuwere, who has twice visited the park in the last week or so.
Five suspected poachers were arrested last month after approximately 41 elephants were found dead in the park, which is 500 miles southwest of Harare, not far from Zimbabwe's border with Zambia.
More carcasses have been discovered since then according to CNN.
Three of the poachers arrested have been convicted and the others will be sentenced later this week.
The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force believes that the latest elephant deaths wouldn't have happened if Harare was tougher on poachers to begin with.
"They need to be given some extensive jail time. If it was, they wouldn't carry on doing it," said the organization's chairman, Johnny Rodrigues, according to CNN.
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