ARUSHA, Tanzania, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Elephant poaching in western Tanzania's wildlife sanctuary, Katavi National Park, has gone down in 2017, a senior park official said on Tuesday.

Izumbe Msindai, the park's chief warden, said in an interview with Xinhua that the number of elephants killed in the area dropped from 24 in 2016 to five in 2017.

Msindai said regular patrols and social awareness among the surrounding communities are contributing factors to the achievement.

"The elephant killing incidents have been dropping year after year. The result is contributed by efforts of the surrounding communities who have recognized the importance of protecting the animals," he said.

"We have signed on to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) anti-poaching surveillance to be carried out by a private entity, Bathawk Recon, in Katavi National park for six months," said the spokesman of Tanzania National Parks, Pascal Shelutete.

According to Shelutete, the initial pilot six-month deployment of Super Bat DA-50 and the required ground and monitoring equipment at Katavi was expected to provide real-time information about poaching activities.

Located in eastern shores of Lake Tanganyika, Katavi national park is known for its unadulterated wild bushes, spectacular views and rich wildlife.

The park is home to an estimated 4,000 elephants, more than 1,000 buffaloes, and many herds of giraffes, zebras, impalas and reedbucks.