Fourteen elephants have been poisoned by cyanide in Zimbabwe, two years after poachers killed more than 200 elephants by poisoning, the National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority said.

Three elephants were killed in Matusadona national park in northern Zimbabwe and 11 more were found dead in two different spots in Hwange national park in western Zimbabwe over the past two weeks, the authority announced on Tuesday.

In all cases, the elephants were killed by cyanide, according to kidney and liver samples from the dead animals, said parks spokeswoman Caroline Washaya-Moyo.

In Matusadona, poachers laced oranges with cyanide, she said, while in Hwange the poison was put on salt licks.

The ivory tusks had been cut off six elephants at one location in Hwange park but the other five elephants still had their tusks, suggesting the poachers were disrupted.

A herd of African elephants drinking at a waterhole, Hwange national park. Photograph: Zdenek Maly/Alamy

There have been no arrests so far over the latest incidents, said police commander Clement Munoriarwa.

“We have had a number of poaching activities in the province – they are actually increasing each day. Some are done through the use of firearms and, of course, we have cases where we suspect there is cyanide poisoning,” he told state television.



A US$400 (£262) reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the poisoners has been offered by the Matusadona Anti-Poaching Project, according to its Facebook page, which said that more elephants may have been poisoned.

In 2013, as many as 300 elephants died in Hwange park after poachers laced salt pans with cyanide. Many vultures died after feeding on the poisoned elephant carcasses and it is feared that will happen again. Cyanide is widely used in Zimbabwe’s mining industry and is relatively easy to obtain.

Although elephants are vulnerable across Africa, Zimbabwe has a large elephant population. The national park estimates it has more than 100,000, although the park’s land should ideally only support 40,000 elephants.

Also on Tuesday, a Zambian was arrested in Zimbabwe for trying to smuggle ivory weighing 25kg and valued at US$6,320 into South Africa. The Zambian was also found carrying a 3m python skin, according to the national parks spokeswoman.