An unidentified helicopter has been flying over the airspace of the National Park of Quirimbas in Mozambique's northern province of Cabo Delgado, allegedly owned by poachers who are investing in new techniques of slaughtering wild animals, local authorities have warned.

The case was reported by the park administrator, Jose Dias, who said this level of investment goes beyond the supervising capacity of local authorities, which are already fragile. The newly found trend puts the preservation of forest species in danger, the state news agency AIM said on Wednesday.

Dias was quoted as saying poachers use the helicopter to transport ivory after killing elephants, making interventions much more difficult for the forest authorities.

In most of the cases, poachers are better equipped than the park supervisors themselves and it is much worse if compared with community supervisors who are fundamental to control the situation in the park, according to the official.

By new techniques, poachers have killed 52 elephants this year in the Niassa reserve in northern Mozambique, and a total of 124 elephants in two years.