The Mozambican police have arrested 434 people for poaching since 2014, local media reported on Wednesday.

Nearly 160 poachers were arrested in 2014, and the number of arrests has increased sharply this year with 276 poachers arrested so far, state-owned news agency AIM said, citing the Mozambican government spokesperson Mouzinho Saide.

Poaching, particularly of elephants, has become a major problem in Mozambique. The latest census of elephants showed that between 2009 and 2014, Mozambique lost 48 percent of its elephants, with numbers falling from around 20,000 to 10,300.

"Poaching is motivated by the large sums paid by those who order this crime," Saide said.

The poachers have used large caliber weapons, including military weapons, such as AK-47 assault rifles, often with faked documents and altered registration numbers, the report said.

According to Saide, authorities have seized 1,124 kilos of ivory, and 75 kilos of rhinoceros horns this year.

Mozambique had also incinerated its stores of illicit ivory and rhino horns. The incineration, Saide said, saw over four tonnes of ivory and rhino horns go up in smoke, the report said.

The southern African country had been under growing pressure to take a tougher stance against poachers.

In 2013, Mozambique was singled out at the international meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora for its lack of action on poaching, followed with a wave of criticism from international organizations including the World Wildlife Fund the next year.

The former Portuguese colony began to show its determination by passing a law in June 2014, toughening penalties for poaching, including hefty fines and jail terms up to 12 years for killing protected species.

Before that, poaching was not considered a crime in the country, and anyone arrested often went away with a fine.

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