Elephant Numbers in Kruger

[Richprins]

We returned from a trip to the Mopane-Shingwedzi area Monday and in the three days must have seen 500 elephant!


What is remarkable is the number of small calves, and yearlings. It seemed even young cows were having babies already.

[Lisbeth]

[Richprins]

Hwange also suffering:




HARARE - At least 55 elephants have died in a month in Zimbabwe due to a lack of food and water, its wildlife agency said Monday, as the country faces one of the worst droughts in its history.

More than five million rural Zimbabweans - nearly a third of the population - are at risk of food shortages before the next harvest in 2020, the United Nations has warned.

The shortages have been caused by the combined effects of an economic downturn and a drought blamed on the El Nino weather cycle.

"Since September, we have lost at least 55 elephants in Hwange National Park due to starvation and lack of water,” Zimbabwe National Parks spokesman Tinashe Farawo told AFP.

Farawo said the park was overpopulated and that food and water was scarce "due to drought".

"Hwange was meant for 15,000 elephants but at the moment we are talking of more than 50,000," Farawo said.

"The situation is dire. We are desperately waiting for the rains."


An adult elephant drinks 680 litres of water per day on average and consumes 450kg of food.

Hungry elephants have been breaking out of Zimbabwe's game reserves and raiding human settlements in search for food, posing a threat to surrounding communities.

https://www.enca.com/news/dozens-elepha ... we-drought

[Lisbeth]

The country "hero" has managed to drive the contry to its limits and in an extreme situation it cannot cope anymore