WWF said 45 elephants were found killed in the park in 1995 and ivory from 20 others had just been recovered in 1996 from poachers of both Zairean and Sudanese origin. The SPLA wants to end what it says is the domination of the mainly animist and Christian south by the Arabized and Moslem north. Rifts within the SPLA have caused fighting between rebel factions and added to the problem of millions of refugees. WWF said that buffalo, whose numbers have dropped to 25,000 in 1995 from 53,000 in 1976, were the main prey. Jean-Pierre d'Huart, regional representative of the WWF East African regional Programme Office, said it was time for the international community to look closely at the impact of the civil war in Sudan on the area's ecosystem.
Major help is needed.
WWF said conservation aid for Zaire was limited and a national economic crisis in the country continued to force down the standard of living of people around the park.