Nigeria, Sept. 17 -- Cross River National Park and Okomu National Park in Nigeria have been added to the Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) Programme of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

In a statement published on its website , CITES said the designation brings the number of MIKE sites across Africa to 74.

The organisation said the network has expanded significantly from its original 39 sites in 2001, describing the latest additions as a major step towards strengthening Africa's capacity for systematic elephant monitoring.

With financial support from the European Union, CITES said the expansion reflects the commitment of elephant range states to evidence-based ...