AKIPRESS.COM - ALMOST 90 dead elephants have been found in a famous wildlife sanctuary in Botswana after being killed for their tusks by poachers, The Sun reports.

An aerial survey is currently being carried out by Elephants Without Borders, who has said the scale of deaths by poaching is the largest it’s ever been in Africa.
Most of the dead elephants had their ivory tusks removed.

A wildlife survey carried out by a scientist said that many of the 87 dead elephants were killed for ivory just weeks ago, as well as five rhinos that were poached in the space of just three months.

Although Botswana is known for having the world’s largest elephant population, poachers are actively destroying elephants on a daily basis.

"I'm shocked, I'm completely astounded. The scale of elephant poaching is by far the largest I've seen or read about anywhere in Africa to date," said Dr Mike Chase from Elephants Without Borders.

Dr Chase also said poachers are turning to Botswana after killing large numbers of elephants in nearby Zambia and Angola.

The latest killings were found at the Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary, which attracts tourists from across the globe.

It’s been estimated that in the last decade, around a third of Africa’s elephants have been killed, as well as 60 per cent of Tanzania’s elephants being killed within five years.

It has also been reported that the international border is lacking in fences, and that elephants coming from Angola, Namibia and Zambia are deciding to stay in Botswana where it was thought to be safe for them.