Yaounde, Cameroon (CNN) -- Heavily armed poachers recently killed nearly 40 endangered forest elephants for their ivory in two national parks, officials in Cameroon said Tuesday, the latest in a string of slaughters of the animals in Central Africa. "The carcasses are still fresh, indicating the killings took place probably only this month," ecologist Theophile Mbarga told CNN on Tuesday. Very young -- even newborn -- elephants were among the carcasses found in Nki and Lobeke national parks. The toll could reach 50 after a thorough search is made, Mbarga added. The dead elephants were found closely clustered -- less than 35 feet apart -- indicating the poachers used powerful, modern weapons, conservation group WWF project manager Zacharie Nzooh told journalists Tuesday.
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Nearly 40 endangered forest elephants were killed in 2 parks
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300 Sudanese poachers on horseback are believed to be responsible
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Forest and savanna elephant populations have declined drastically
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Central African nations agree to mobilize 1,000 soldiers to fight poaching
Evidence indicates that a horseback-riding band of about 300 poachers from @placeholder was behind the slaughter, officials said.