Elephant Management and Poaching in African Countries

[Lisbeth]

Poachers kill half Mozambique's elephants in five years: survey

MAPUTO: Poachers have killed nearly half of Mozambique's elephants for their ivory in the past five years, the US-based Wildlife Conservation Society said on Tuesday, 26 May.

© Fotolia.com ( Looks like Valli Moosa in Addo )

Mozambique government-backed survey showed a dramatic 48% decline in elephant numbers from just over 20,000 to an estimated 10,300, the WCS said in a statement.

"This decline is due to rampant elephant poaching in the country's most important elephant populations," the statement said.

Remote northern Mozambique, which includes the Niassa National Reserve, was the hardest hit, accounting for 95% of elephant deaths, reducing the population from an estimated 15,400 to an estimated 6,100.

The aerial survey found that in some parts of the country nearly half the elephants seen were already dead.

Across Africa, up to 30,000 elephants are estimated to be killed illegally each year to fuel the ivory trade, mainly to China and other Asian countries.

A total of 470,000 wild elephants remain in Africa, according to a count by the NGO Elephants Without Borders.

Source: AFP

[Richprins]

It is so ironic that, except for Addo/Knysna, virtually all SA's wild elephant returned from Moz and Zim via Kruger, then later relocations during Kruger culling to Natal, Pilanesberg/privates etc!

[RogerFraser]

And now the numbers in Tanzania are truly horrific :

http://news.yahoo.com/activists-decline ... 14488.html

Activists: Decline of elephants in Tanzania is catastrophic
Associated Press By TOM ODULA
11 hours ago

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The sharp decline of the elephant population in Tanzania, most likely due to poaching, is catastrophic, a wildlife conservation group said Tuesday, June 2, 2015. The Tanzanian government on Monday estimated that 65,721 elephants have died in the country in the last five years. The report showed the number of Tanzanian elephants plummeting from an estimated 109,051 in 2009 to 43,330 in 2014. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy, File)

The sharp decline of the elephant population in Tanzania, most likely due to poaching, is catastrophic, a wildlife conservation group said Tuesday, June 2, 2015. The Tanzanian government on Monday estimated that 65,721 elephants have died in the country in the last five years. The report showed the number of Tanzanian elephants plummeting from an estimated 109,051 in 2009 to 43,330 in 2014. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy, File)


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Tanzania elephants suffer 'catastrophic decline' AFP
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The Tanzanian government on Monday estimated that 65,721 elephants have died in the country in the last five years. The report showed the number of Tanzanian elephants plummeting from an estimated 109,051 in 2009 to 43,330 in 2014.

Steve Broad, the executive directors of wildlife conservation group TRAFFIC, said it is incredible that poaching on such an industrial scale had not been identified and addressed.

The statistics back concerns by TRAFFIC in a 2013 report that the Tanzanian ports of Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar have become main exit points for vast amounts of ivory, the group said in a statement.

According to the conservation group, at least 45 tons of ivory have flowed from Tanzania to international markets in Asia since 2009.

It said a breakdown across the country showed some smaller elephant populations had increased, notably that in the famed Serengeti region, which rose from 3,068 to 6,087 animals. However, beyond the most heavily visited tourist locations, elephant numbers were significantly down.

Of particular concern is the Ruaha-Rungwa ecosystem, where only 8,272 elephants remained in 2014, compared to 34,664 in 2009, according to government figures, the statement said.

"Tanzania has been hemorrhaging ivory with Ruaha-Rungwa the apparent epicenter and nobody seems to have raised the alarm," Broad said, and urged the government to take action to bring the situation under control.

The Tanzanian government says it has added an additional 1,000 rangers to protect wildlife, but Broad said "there is a real risk that it could be a case of too little too late for some elephant populations."

In February China imposed a one-year ban on ivory imports that took immediate effect amid criticism that its citizens' huge appetite for ivory has fueled poaching that threatens the existence of African elephants.

[Richprins]

However, beyond the most heavily visited tourist locations, elephant numbers were significantly down.


That's the point, you see... Tourist money is appreciated, as is ivory money....not much long-term thinking, but that is the mentality...

[Toko]

Genetic mapping of Africa's ivory poaching hotspots shows between 86% and 93% of the savanna elephant ivory seized from 2006 to 2014 came from northern Mozambique and south-east Tanzania

http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early ... a2457.full

[Toko]

Genetic mapping of Africa's ivory poaching hotspots shows between 86% and 93% of the savanna elephant ivory seized from 2006 to 2014 came from northern Mozambique and south-east Tanzania

http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early ... a2457.full

[Lisbeth]

What a way to begin the day

[Toko]

http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/news/z ... onarezhou/

10 elephants killed in Gonarezhou


Posted on July 23, 2015 by ZimSitRep_W — 1 Comment ↓
via 10 elephants killed in Gonarezhou – The Zimbabwean 23 July 2015

At least 10 elephants were killed during the past two months in the giant Gonarezhou national park as poaching reaches alarming levels in the Great Limpopo Trans Frontier Park.

It also emerged this week that over 700 people from the Chitsa clan were still occupying part of the sanctuary, hampering efforts to deal with poaching activities. The clan moved into the giant park during the height of the farm invasions and has since vowed to resist eviction, arguing that the land belongs to their ancestors.

Bodies of the killed animals were recovered this month with some of them being at an advanced stage of decomposition. All their tusks had been removed. Acting Masvingo police spokesman Assistant Inspector Nkululeko Nduna confirmed the development. “We are investigating cases of poaching in Gonarezhou where several animals especially elephants were killed,” he said. “So far no arrests have been made but investigations are in progress.”

Although no official comment could be obtained from the department of parks and wildlife, a highly placed source in the department told Zimbabwean that the poachers were allegedly using poisonous substances to kill the animals.

“As I speak now we have lost 10 elephants in just two months and our investigations point to the fact that the poachers were using poisonous substances to kill the animals. We are having problems dealing with poaching activities in the giant park because of the presence of invaders from the Chitsa Clan,” he said.

Poaching has reached alarming levels in the country’s national parks and Zimbabwe risks being expelled from the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species CITES. Some 200 rhino have been lost since 2012 due to rampant poaching.

According to animal welfare groups, among them the Species Survival Commission and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, this loss represents about 30 percent of the living rhinos in the country.

[Lisbeth]

The elephants are disappearing like Autumn leaves...............but they do not return in spring

[Mel]