A British pilot has
died in Tanzania after his helicopter was downed by elephant poachers, the
charity he worked for said Saturday.
Roger Gower died on Friday and is thought to have been
flying in the Maswa Game Reserve, located along the boundary of the Serengeti
National Park.
“Roger was killed while piloting a helicopter during a coordinated effort with the Tanzanian wildlife authorities to track down and arrest active elephant poachers,” said a statement from Dan Friedkin, chairman of the Friedkin Conservation Fund.
“In the course of this action, the poachers fired upon the helicopter and Roger was fatally wounded.”
The BBC quoted Pratik Patel of the fund as saying that Gower
had been approaching the last of three elephants which had been killed by poachers
when the incident happened.
The Daily Telegraph reported that Gower had given up his job
as an accountant in London to retrain as a pilot.
“We can confirm
the death of a British national in Tanzania and are providing assistance to the
family at this difficult time,”
said a Foreign Office spokesman in
London.
said a Foreign Office spokesman in
London.
Source: -AFP
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