In dieci anni, tra il 2004 e il 2014, in Gabon i bracconieri hanno ucciso oltre 25mila elefanti, mettendo a serio rischio la sopravvivenza della specie.
African elephants (Loxodonta africana) are some of the world’s most loved and charismatic animals. Yet, we still know little about the extraordinary sensitivity and cognitive abilities of these giants, which are able to sense storms from miles away, among other things. Their mysterious brain (whose number of neurons is three times that of humans) could remain unknown, as the species faces extinction due to the illegal ivory trade.
Elephants in Gabon are going through a critical moment. According to a research carried out by a group of researchers of the Duke University and published in the journal Current Biology, 25,000 forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) have been killed between 2004 and 2014. Forest elephants are smaller than Savannah elephants, and Gabon is their last stronghold. In just 10 years, the population of forest elephants in Gabon’s Minkebe National Park decreased by 80 per cent.
Elephants are poached for their precious tusks. According to the IUCN, their population has decreased by 20 per cent between 2006 and 2015 and today accounts for 415,000 individuals. China’s recent announcement of a ban on its ivory trade by 2017 could represent a turning point for elephant conservation, before it’s too late.
“With nearly half of Central Africa’s estimated 100,000 forest elephants thought to live in Gabon, the loss of 25,000 elephants from this key sanctuary is a considerable setback for the preservation of the species,” said John Poulsen, assistant professor of tropical ecology at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment.
In order to reverse this worrying trend and save elephants from poachers, conservation efforts need to be intensified. The study’s authors suggest that “we need to create new multinational protected areas and coordinate international law enforcement to ensure the prosecution of foreign nationals who commit or encourage wildlife crimes in other countries”. Also, they called on the international community to urge countries to ban the ivory trade. Most importantly, education programmes must show local populations that elephants are worth more when alive.
Siamo anche su WhatsApp. Segui il canale ufficiale LifeGate per restare aggiornata, aggiornato sulle ultime notizie e sulle nostre attività.
Quest'opera è distribuita con Licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Non opere derivate 4.0 Internazionale.
The first NGO that puts an intelligence network at the service of the planet. People who work in the shadows to eradicate poaching and save elephants along with other endangered species. This is the Elephant Action League, and we spoke to its founder Andrea Crosta.
Saving elephants from poaching and extinction means safeguarding the African ecosystem, the tourism industry and a crucial part of the continent’s common heritage. This is why the Giants Club has met in Nanyuki, Kenya. It is an exclusive group that brings together African heads of state, environmental NGOs, global business leaders and zoologists. Ivory means
Garamba National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo, is one of the most important and ancient natural parks in Equatorial Africa. It is home to a huge variety of wildlife including elephants, lions, giraffes, hippos and white rhinos. More precisely, it is home to what’s left of these animals’ ancient populations, after decades of relentless poaching.
Our species took its first steps in a world covered in trees. Today, forests offer us sustenance, shelter, and clean the air that we breathe.
Poachers in Africa are encroaching on wildlife land and killing rhinos in travel hot spots now devoid of visitors due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Secondo un recente studio l’uccisione di pachidermi sarebbe calata notevolmente dal 2012 ad oggi.
La “Regina dell’avorio” è accusata di essere il punto di riferimento tra il traffico internazionale illegale di avorio e i bracconieri.
A documentary by National Geographic proves that illegal ivory trade and terrorism are closely related.
Poaching for ivory is an increasing phenomenon all over the African continent due to the significant increase in the demand of China and other Asian countries. The Chinese government thus decided to help one of the most affected countries, Tanzania, by donating resources and equipment worth 1.3 million dollars. China gave Dar es Salaam
