Parque Nacional da Gorongosa Moçambique

Two Professional Foreign Hunters Accused of Killing a GNP Elephant

Jul 7, 2009 - Gorongosa National Park

Two foreign citizens were detained by the Mozambican Police (PRM), on the past 25th of July in the city of Beira for presumed counts of illegal slaughter of a protected animal, hunting in a prohibited time period, illegal possession of firearms and theft of an electronic device. 

The two suspects are Portuguese Victor Ildefonso Anselmo, 47, and French Juliene Raymond, 56, both professional hunters, defendants on counts of illegal slaughter of an elephant and inappropriately possessing a necklace – a satellite transmitter belonging to Gorongosa National Park (GNP), on the 18th or 19th of June, close to Chiramba, Chemba District. 

According to the director of the Department of Conservation of GNP, Dr. Carlos Lopes Pereira, the elephant named G4, easily identifiable by the large transmitter on its neck, frequently moved between the Park and the Zambeze River, passing hunting regions.  Both responsible parties as well as the community were aware of this fact. 

Its movements and geographical position were permanently monitored by the satellite signal emitted.  The same device also emitted a VHF signal captured by Radio-telemetry, a technology that aided the recovery of the accessory, and consequently capture of the suspects in Beira by the police on counts of its theft and unauthorized slaying of a pachyderm.
 
However, according to our source, between the 12th and 19th of June as his sector first noticed through reading of the movements, the animal was slightly dislocated and he deduced that the animal would eventually turn up injured.  Later he would come to a definitive conclusion believing the death could be a natural one or an illegal killing by covert hunters. 

Subsequent investigations aiming to clear up the matter would come to confirm the impairment of the animal on June 12th and its death between the 18th and 19th of the same month. 

According to Dr. Carlos Lopes Pereira, on the 20th of June of 2009, the satellite signal moved in direction of a residence in the Town of "Chiveve", in the geographical coordinates of Latitude 19 º, 8491333 and Longitude 34º, 87215, southwest of the city of Beira. 

The speaker added that the signal had been transmitted the next day, at 22h25, and went missing afterwards.  This situation can only happen as a result of the destruction or concealment of the transmitter necklace inside a container or building. 

Before these indications, as was explained, on the 24th and 25th of the same month, the Department of Conservation commenced contact with the PRM, the Crime Investigation Police (CIP) and the Public Procecutor of the Republic, on provincial level, with an aim to locate the suspects responsible for crimes relating to a protected elephant so they could answer in judgment about the crimes. 

Continuing, on the 25th of June, with the search warrant in hand, agents of the CIP and representatives of GNP drove to the dubious locality in Beira and began to search for the transmitter.
 
"When we arrived in the proximities of the area, we activated the VHF system, in G4’s specific frequency (150.610), showing the presence of the transmitter in the home under suspicion", detailed Dr. Carlos Lopes Pereira. 

"After some passive resistance on the part of the occupants of the dwelling, the police were able to enter the premises, without force, and ultimately collect the transmitter from the trunk of a vehicle located outside of the home.  They were also able to apprehend Victor Ildefonso Anselmo, connected with the company, Ideal Safaris, and his accomplice, Juliene Raymond, on Diogo de Couto Street, Palmeiras – 2, in the city of Beira,” added our source. 

Along with the two individuals, the police apprehended six weapons of several calibers, a large quantity of ammunition, a necklace transmitter (property of GNP), five body parts including the teeth and paws of the elephant, G4, and several trophies of buffalo, without the respective licenses and/or ownership documents. 

According to Dr. Carlos Lopes Pereira, one of the ivories confiscated, already properly packaged jointly with other hunting products for exportation, weighed 55 kg and measured more than 3,70m.  It is considered a protected artifact and is prohibited to leave the country.