Four Ghanaian poachers have been charged for allegedly killing an elephant in northern part of Ghana, the Forestry Commission said.

The poachers are facing criminal charges, according to the executive-director for the wildlife division of the forestry commission, Bernard Asamoah-Boateng.

Speaking to Chinese outlet Xinhua, Asamoah-Boateng said the arrest was made in collaboration with the police and military.

The suspects allegedly shot and killed the middle-aged male elephant, which was part of a herd traveling from Burkina Faso to Ghana on April 13. They dismembered the carcass and took away its tusks and other parts at Vamboi in Ghana’s Upper West Region.

“Elephants are highly protected by law in Ghana, trading in their parts is prohibited,” Boateng said.

Elephants in the northern part of Ghana belong to the group of shared species that move in the contiguous forest between Ghana and Burkina Faso.

The poachers took advantage of the restriction on movements introduced to combat COVID-19 in Ghana to break the law on protected species, said Asamoah-Boateng.

He urged rural communities to assist personnel of the wildlife division by volunteering information on people who break the law on wildlife in Ghana.