The Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM), said, this Monday, that seized 50 ivory tusks in a residence still under construction, in the district of Boane, in Maputo province.

The origin of the 50 tips, which are presumed to have been extracted from 25 elephants in different conservation areas of the country, is so far unknown, according to Henrique Mendes, spokesman for the National Criminal Investigation Service (Sernic) in Maputo province.

There are still no arrestees in connection with the case, but Sernic assures that work is underway aimed at "discovering the real provenance of the tips."

Poaching in Mozambique has been a serious threat to wildlife in the country, having drastically reduced some species, according to official data.

According to the latest data from ANAC, since 2009, the country has lost at least ten thousand elephants, and in the Niassa Reserve alone the total number of this species went from 12,000 to 4,400 in three years (between 2011 and 2014).

More recent reports indicate that the country lost 48% of its elephant population between 2011 and 2016.