Tanzania: Five arrested after death of British pilot

Five people have been arrested in connection with the death of a British pilot in Tanzania.

Briton Roger Gower was killed after his helicopter was shot down by suspected poachers during a patrol at the Maswa Game Reserve in northern Tanzania on January 29.

The 37 year-old who worked for the Friedkin Conservation Fund had been tracking down poachers, after spotting the carcasses of recently killed elephants.

His South African colleague Nicky Bester survived the crash.

Tanzanian President John Magufuli condemned the killing and ordered all those involved to be aggressively pursued and brought to justice.

“I personally support the fight against poaching in our game reserves and national parks … let us join hands against the poachers,” he said vowing to boost efforts to protect wildlife.

The five suspects are currently being interrogated by police.

The country has been identified as a major hotspot for elephant poachers and last year’s census announced that the elephant population had declined by 60 percent to about 40,000 since 2009.

More than 30,000 elephants are killed for their tusks every year across Africa.