Harare , Zimbabwe ( CNN ) -- More than 80 elephants in Zimbabwe have been poisoned with cyanide -- the latest victims of poachers keen to feed soaring global demand for illegally trafficked ivory . Since May , the carcasses of 87 elephants have been discovered in Hwange National Park , said Caroline Washaya-Moyo , public relations manager for Zimbabwe 's Parks and Wildlife Management Authority . The poachers poisoned natural salt licks to bring down the mighty beasts , she said Wednesday . The parks authority has so far recovered 51 tusks , she said -- leaving 123 in the hands of the poachers . Zimbabwe 's newly appointed Environment Minister Saviour Kasukuwere told CNN that he would push for stiffer jail penalties to root out poaching in the wildlife-rich African nation . `` That will be one of my missions in the new parliament , given the recent case of elephants which were poisoned by poachers , '' said Kasukuwere , who has twice visited the park in recent days to see the impact of the poisoning . Last month authorities arrested five suspected poachers after 41 elephants were found dead in the park , which is about 800 kilometers ( 500 miles ) southwest of Harare , not far from Zimbabwe 's border with Zambia . The other carcasses have been discovered since then , Washaya-Moyo said . Three of those arrested have been convicted and are due to be sentenced this week , she said . Two investigations are ongoing . Poaching stinks ... and now dogs are sniffing it out . Call for tougher action . The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force , an anti-poaching organization , said the latest elephant deaths could have been avoided if Harare was tougher on those convicted of poaching . `` They need to be given some extensive jail time . If it was , they would n't carry on doing it , '' said the organization 's chairman , Johnny Rodrigues . He accused Zimbabwe of not doing enough to clamp down on poachers and of creating an impression that the country had more elephants than it can sustain . `` They want permission from CITES to sell the ivory they have in stock and they think they will get it if there are too many elephants here , '' Rodrigues said , referring to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species . CITES , also known as the Washington Convention , aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants is kept to a minimum to avoiding threatening their existence . Rodrigues puts the country 's elephant population at around 35,000 , while Washaya-Moyo said it was about 45,000 . The use of cyanide could also have a wider impact , Rodrigues said . `` When other animals and birds feed on the rotting elephant carcasses , they will also die from the poison . Hundreds of animals are now at risk , '' he said . The police suspect there could be more elephant carcasses in the park that have not yet been discovered , he added . The Parks and Wildlife Management Authority warned that wildlife poaching syndicates in Zimbabwe `` have become sophisticated and need appropriate responses to effectively deal with them . '' 'Killed in record numbers ' The International Fund for Animal Welfare and the WWF conservation group said that a recent surge in the illicit ivory trade has resulted in the killing of 30,000 African elephants annually in recent years . The International Fund for Animal Welfare , which published a major study into the illegal wildlife trade in June , calculates that an elephant loses its life to poaching on average every 15 minutes . `` Elephants were killed for their ivory in record numbers in 2011 and 2012 , and some rhinoceros subspecies have become extinct or are on the verge of extinction , '' it said . `` Rangers are regularly killed by poachers , and some of the world 's poorest countries continue to see their wildlife decimated for the black market in wild animals and parts . Meanwhile , the profits realized from the illegal trade in wildlife have surged to levels once reserved for legally traded precious metals . `` Criminal and violent groups around the world have become the main actors exploiting this global industry . '' Elephants under siege . Demand in Asia , United States . Much of the demand for ivory , as well as rhinoceros horn , is in Asia , and particularly China , where these items are used in traditional medicines and handicraft products , the report said . The United States is widely considered to be the second-largest destination for illegally trafficked wildlife in the world , it said , with the European Union third . Authorities in the United States have spoken out against the illegal trade in recent weeks . Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced this month that nearly six tons of elephant ivory seized by U.S. wildlife inspectors would be destroyed to highlight the issue . `` Rising demand for ivory is fueling a renewed and horrific slaughter of elephants in Africa , threatening remaining populations across the continent , '' Jewell said . `` We will continue to work aggressively with the departments of Justice and State , as well as with international law enforcement agencies , to disrupt and prosecute criminals who traffic in ivory , and we encourage other nations to join us in that effort . '' The ivory stockpile , which includes whole tusks as well as smaller carvings and jewelry , has been kept at a secure site in Colorado , where it will be crushed and destroyed next month . Commercial ivory trade has been banned in the United States since 1989 . The Clinton Foundation is also working with conservation groups to try to halt the gruesome trade in tusks , by combating poaching and trafficking , and by educating consumers so they no longer buy ivory . Chelsea Clinton wrote last month that elephant poaching had reached alarmingly high levels -- and was an issue with implications for global society . `` This is not just an ecological disaster ; it is an economic and security threat as well , '' she said . `` Tourism , a vital source of income for many of the most-affected African countries , is threatened if wildlife preserves are depopulated . `` The overall black market for illegal wildlife trade has become the fourth most lucrative criminal activity internationally , after drugs , counterfeit goods and human trafficking . '' CNN 's Laura Smith-Spark wrote and reported in London and journalist Columbus S. Mavhunga in Harare .
Poachers have used cyanide to kill more than 80 elephants in Zimbabwe , the official says . The poachers poisoned natural salt licks in the National Park , official says . The minister says he will push for tougher penalties for ivory poachers . He say record numbers of elephants are dying to meet soaring demand .