Poachers Shoot and Kill Do-Gooder Pilot Who Was Trying to Save Elephants

[Omaha Steve]

As activists mourn the loss of one of their own, they remain committed to protecting Tanzania’s wildlife.



(Photo: Wolfgang Kaehler/Getty Images)

FEB 1, 2016 (By) Samantha Cowan is an associate editor and helms TakePart's weekend coverage.

http://www.takepart.com/article/2016/02/01/elephant-poachers-pilot-death?cmpid=tpdaily-eml-2016-02-01-C

Although poachers present a deadly threat to African elephants, they can be just as dangerous for the conservationists attempting to stop them.

British pilot Roger Gower was fatally shot while trying to track down poachers in the Maswa Game Reserve in Tanzania on Friday, The Associated Press reports. The 37-year-old worked as an accountant before earning his pilot’s license in 2004, according to the BBC. Coworker Pratik Patel described him as “a great guy, a great friend, a great pilot” who loved his job.

Working with Texas-based organization the Friedkin Conservation Fund, Gower was on a joint mission with Tanzanian authorities when a group of poachers fired on his helicopter from the ground with AK-47s. His copilot was injured but survived.

“This tragic event again highlights the appalling risk and cost of protecting Tanzania’s wildlife,” Dan Friedkin, chairman of the Friedkin Conservation Fund, said in a statement. “We are profoundly saddened by the loss of our dear friend.”

FULL story at link.

[NiteOwl1]

1. Sad...

They need a military attack gunship chopper... and light up the scum of the earth poachers.

[HuckleB]

2. This sucks!

The UN needs to step in, ASAP. We are going to lose too many animals, if it does not. These people need to be able to make a living honestly, but they're screwed.

Thus, the elephants, and other species, suffer.

Ugh.

[Odin2005]

3. I say we put a bounty on poachers.

Make it high enough so it is more profitable to kill poachers than be one.

[cui bono]

4. Geezus.

Fucking assholes.

.