© MARTIN BUREAU/AFP/Getty ImagesAn African elephant and her baby are pictured on November 17, 2012 in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe
Authorities recovered about $120,000 worth of ivory from 17 tusks, the Zimbabwe Chronicle reported.
The men stood accused of lacing watering holes frequented by the elephants.
"What they were doing is very cruel because it does not end with the death of the elephants," Chief Inspector Muyambirwa Muzzah told the Chronicle.
"We have what we call the fourth generation effect due to the potency of cyanide as a poison. Animals that feed on the dead elephants will die, and those that feed on the dead animals will also die."
The elephants were found in the Hwange National Park after a ranger heard gunshots.
