TASK DEFINITION: In this task, you are given news articles and you need to generate a highlight, i.e., a short summary, with a maximum length of 10 lines.
PROBLEM: Yaounde, Cameroon (CNN) -- Heavily armed poachers recently killed nearly 40 endangered forest elephants for their ivory in two national parks, officials in Cameroon said Tuesday, the latest in a string of slaughters of the animals in Central Africa. "The carcasses are still fresh, indicating the killings took place probably only this month," ecologist Theophile Mbarga told CNN on Tuesday. Very young -- even newborn -- elephants were among the carcasses found in Nki and Lobeke national parks. The toll could reach 50 after a thorough search is made, Mbarga added. The dead elephants were found closely clustered -- less than 35 feet apart -- indicating the poachers used powerful, modern weapons, conservation group WWF project manager Zacharie Nzooh told journalists Tuesday. Evidence indicates that a horseback-riding band of about 300 poachers from Sudan was behind the slaughter, officials said. The same poachers were believed to be responsible for hundreds of elephant deaths over the past year. Forest elephants are distinguished from the more familiar savanna elephants by their smaller size and straighter tusks. A kilogram (2.2 pounds) of their ivory sells for hundreds of dollars on the underground market in places such as China and Thailand. Political analysts say the proceeds fund rebel groups in Sudan and the Central African Republic. A recent peer-reviewed study published at PLOS One documented a "catastrophic" 62 percent decline in Central Africa's forest elephant population over nine years. Officials estimated that 1,700 forest elephants remain in the two Cameroonian parks. It is feared they will be completely wiped out within seven years. Savanna elephant populations in the Central African Republic are believed to have plummeted from around 80,000 just 30 years ago to a few hundred today, according to WWF, formerly known as the World Wildlife Fund. The governments of three Central African nations -- Cameroon, the Central African Republic and Chad -- announced Saturday they would muster as many as 1,000 soldiers for joint military operations to protect the region's last remaining savanna elephants, as the Sudanese poachers are still active in the region. "We recommend the mobilization of all defense and security forces in the affected countries" to stop the poachers, members of the Economic Community of Central African States said in a joint statement. The communique was issued at the end of a three-day emergency anti-poaching ministerial conference held in Cameroon's capital, YaoundÃ©. The operation is estimated to cost about $2.3 million. The announcement called on other nations to contribute additional funds to sustain the effort. On the night of March 14 to 15, poachers slaughtered killed at least 89 elephants in southern Chad, WWF said. They are also believed to be behind the killing of at least 30 elephants in the Central African Republic since January 1. The poachers on horseback are also suspected of killing 300 elephants in Cameroon's Bouba N'Djida National Park in early 2012. The carnage prompted Cameroon to mobilize 600 elite troops to try to keep the poachers from crossing the border again, WWF reported. In the statement, the ECCAS states congratulated Thailand for its March 3 decision to ban its legal domestic ivory trade and urged its vigorous enforcement. Ivory consumers "need to be sensitized to the consequences" of the ivory trade, the statement said, adding that "destination countries (should) adopt measures to reduce ivory demand." Robert Jackson, the U.S. ambassador to Cameroon, said he was pleased with the meeting. "The plan is a good one. But execution is now critical." he said. "I am, however, concerned that there is no mention of corruption in the statement, because it contributes directly to the poaching and trafficking problem," he said. CNN's Jim Kavanagh contributed to this report.

SOLUTION: Nearly 40 endangered forest elephants were killed in 2 parks .
300 Sudanese poachers on horseback are believed to be responsible .
Forest and savanna elephant populations have declined drastically .
Central African nations agree to mobilize 1,000 soldiers to fight poaching .

PROBLEM: (EW.com) -- This weekend, "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" hunted down the No. 1 spot at the box office with $19 million from 3,372 theaters. Although "Hansel and Gretel" can hardly be called a fairy-tale success at this point, it proved far more bewitching than fellow newcomers "Parker" and "Movie 43," which were left with only bread crumbs in their sad debut frame. Paramount and MGM spent $50 million to produce "Hansel and Gretel," which was shot in 2011 and originally scheduled to be released in March 2012. Distributor Paramount moved the film's release to this month to capitalize on star Jeremy Renner, whom the studio hoped would blossom into a true box-office draw following "The Avengers" and "The Bourne Legacy." (It also seems likely that "Hansel and Gretel" got placed in January due to its poor quality — January tends to be a dumping ground for studios' stinkers.) Whether or not Renner had anything to do with it, the date change proved at least somewhat effective — "Hansel and Gretel" outgrossed the last supernatural fantasy with Hunter in the title, "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," which staked a weak $16.3 million in its debut frame. 3-D showings of "Hansel and Gretel" accounted for 55 percent of its weekend gross, while IMAX made up 11 percent of the total. Due to its R rating, the Grimm tale played primarily to older audiences — 57 percent of crowds were above the age of 25, and 55 percent were male. Audiences issued the film a lukewarm "B" CinemaScore grade, so it seems unlikely that Hansel and Gretel will achieve strong word of mouth. Fortunately for Paramount (the studio suffered a rough winter with Jack Reacher, The Guilt Trip, Cirque Du Soleil: Worlds Away, and Rise of the Guardians — which passed $100 million this weekend), the film has already earned $35.8 million from international territories representing about 40 percent of the overseas market. Last weekend's box office champ, Mama, dropped 55 percent into second place with $12.9 million. With $48.7 million after 10 days, Universal's $15 million horror entry has officially surpassed Gangster Squad as 2013′s highest grossing release. Of course, that will change faster than you could say "Iron Man 3," but it's an impressive performance nonetheless. 'Downton Abbey': Big season 4 spoiler! Two Oscar contenders finished in third and fourth place with almost identical weekend grosses — not to mention almost identical totals. "Silver Linings Playbook" dropped by an incredibly small 7 percent in its 11th weekend to $10 million. Weinstein's $21 million drama continues to benefit from great word of mouth. And with $69.5 million so far and another month until the Oscars still to go, director David O. Russell's Playbook is on track to finish above $100 million. "Zero Dark Thirty," meanwhile, fell by a steeper 38 percent to $9.8 million and $69.9 million total in its sixth weekend. The $40 million Sony drama will need to notch better holds if it wants to join fellow Best Picture nominees Argo, Lincoln, Django Unchained, Les Miserables, and Life of Pi in the $100 million club. Norah Jones to do 'Ted' song at Oscars . Jason Statham's annual action misfire "Parker" lived up to its low expectations, finishing in fifth place with $7 million from 2,224 theaters. FilmDistrict's shoot-em-up, whose budget was in the $35 million range, didn't get any boost from costar Jennifer Lopez, who proved unable to attract viewers outside her go-to rom-com genre. Parker opened short of Statham's last three leading efforts, Safe ($7.9 million debut), Killer Elite, ($9.3 million), and The Mechanic ($11.4 million), and it will likely finish below $20 million domestically. Between Parker, The Last Stand, Broken City, and Gangster Squad, January has been a difficult month for non-fantasy gun-driven violence. But at least audiences enjoyed Parker — it earned a "B+" CinemaScore grade. 1. Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters -- $19.0 million . 2. Mama -- $12.9 million . 3. Silver Linings Playbook -- $10.0 million . 4. Zero Dark Thirty -- $9.8 million . 5. Parker -- $7.0 million . See the original story at EW.com. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved.

SOLUTION: "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" hunted down the No. 1 spot at the box office .
The movie scored $19 million from 3,372 theaters .
"Parker" and "Movie 43" were left with only bread crumbs in their sad debut frame .

PROBLEM: DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) -- Orangutans and bonobos in one of North America's leading ape research centers are spending time high in their habitats to escape Iowa floodwaters, officials said Monday. Floodwaters encroach on the bonobo facility at the Great Ape Trust of Iowa. Water on the grounds of the Great Ape Trust of Iowa in Des Moines has been as high as 14 feet after flooding began last week. Research, including the future and origins of culture, language, tool use and language in ape species, was brought to a standstill, officials said. But at no time were the apes in danger. "The parts that house the animals all have drains, and being wet is a part of their daily routine," said Al Setka, director of communications. Animals moved to the highest levels of their living quarters when they wanted to stay dry, the trust reported. The orangutan habitat is 30 feet high, and the bonobo one is 25 feet high, according to the trust's Web site. "Today, we are just trying to finish cleaning out the living areas to give the apes access to all of their indoor space," Setka said Monday. The trust's Web site said the Des Moines facility, built in a former sand quarry, will be the largest in North America when it is completed.

SOLUTION:
Water has been as a high as 14 feet at Great Ape Trust of Iowa .
Orangutans, bonobos spending time in upper levels of living quarters, officials say .
Research at a standstill at Des Moines facility .