Mozambique’s 15-year civil war changed the face of its national parks, which underwent rampant poaching of big mammals, including elephants. It did much more. It changed the face of female African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana). The unusually large number of tuskless females at the Gorongosa National Park today can be traced back to the ravages […]
Tag: African elephant
Ivory poaching has led to evolution of tuskless elephants, study finds
Ivory poaching over decades has led to the evolution of tuskless elephants, researchers have found, proving that humans are “literally changing the anatomy” of wild animals. A previously rare genetic mutation causing tusklessness has become very common in some groups of African elephants after a period in which many were killed for their tusks, according […]
Culture shock: how loss of animals’ shared knowledge threatens their survival
At the peak of the whaling industry, in the late 1800s, North Atlantic right whales were slaughtered in their thousands. With each carcass hauled on to the deck, whalers were taking more than just bones and flesh out of the ocean. The slaughtered whales had unique memories of feeding grounds, hunting techniques and communication styles; […]
Humans are biggest factor defining elephant ranges across Africa, study finds
In an undisturbed ecosystem, elephants move across the landscape in response to the availability of food and water and the type of habitat or competition. But according to a continent-wide study coordinated by Save the Elephants and recently published in Current Biology, elephants’ range is now predominantly defined by human activities and the boundaries of […]
EU is the Second Largest Hunting Trophy Importer After the US, Per New Report
A new report published by Humane Society International (HSI) outlines how the EU is the second-largest importer of hunting trophies of protected species. 3,000 trophies of animals including zebras, elephants, and lions are imported each year. This grim statistic makes the EU second only to the United States. The bloc imported 15,000 hunting trophies between […]
Do we love elephants enough to let them live free?
Elephants are always the prime attraction. In zoos, circuses, and safaris, elephants are the number one draw. They make an impression with their playfulness and intelligence, their docile nature despite extraordinary strength. People feel a natural connection to elephants, which I think is from an intuitive understanding that their emotional lives are similar to ours. […]
New oilfield in African wilderness threatens lives of 130,000 elephants
Tens of thousands of African elephants are under threat from plans for a massive new oilfield in one of the continent’s last great wildernesses, experts have warned. Campaigners and conservationists fear the proposed oilfield stretching across Namibia and Botswana would devastate regional ecosystems and wildlife as well as local communities. The plans are the latest […]
The Last Giraffes on Earth
The giraffe is nearly down. Two men have stretched a thick black rope in front of the animal, to trip her up. The giraffe hits the rope, and the plan seems to be working until she gains a second wind and breaks into a fresh run. Her body sways backward and forward like a rocking […]