Three Nigerian poachers were arrested in Niger with a massive haul of slaughtered game from W National Park which straddles the borders of Niger, Burkina Faso and Benin, officials said Sunday.

Forestry agents discovered elephant tusks, giant snake skins and the carcasses or heads of various animals including buffalos and monkeys loaded into two vans in Niger’s southwestern Dosso region bordering the park, a statement said.

They also seized a dozen hunting rifles, machetes, six bicycles and various chemical substances, it said.

Dosso state governor Moussa Ousmane praised the operation as “an unprecedented… exploit for our agents”.

The park, a UN World Heritage site covering some 10,000 square kilometres (nearly 4,000 square miles), contains a vast wealth of fauna and is an important migration sanctuary.