Tighter measures to curtail the spread of the Ebola Virus outbreak were of significant help.

Efforts to control poaching in the Littoral Region in the last year are said to have been successful. The poaching of small mammals in forest reserves between August 2014 and August 2015 has reduced. While evaluating the 2014 recommendations of the Committee for the Fight Against Poaching in the region in the Littoral Governor’s Office on August 20, 2015, the Regional Delegate for Forestry and Wildlife, Pandong Eitel, attributed the decrease to the implementation of strategies to curtail the spread of the Ebola Virus outbreak.

He said the fight could not have been successful without the collaboration of other government structures, services and civil society organisations, although the killing of large mammals (elephants, etc) which are species that are becoming extinct, continues. Poaching of elephants is largely for the tusks, with perpetrators operating in specialised networks. The call was therefore made for all public structures and other forest and wildlife stakeholders to be vigilant and collaborate with the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife in order to track down suspects.

The Secretary General in the Littoral Governor’s Office, Ludovic Etienne Ngwba, who represented the Governor and Chair of the Regional Committee, alluded to the arrest of poachers, and the impoundment and destruction of bush meat. He said this contributed significantly to the reduction noticed in the poaching of small animals.