PEKANBARU, Indonesia — Reportedly home to 3% of the planet’s mammal species and one of the highest levels of lowland plant diversity known to science, Indonesia’s Tesso Nilo National Park is a sanctum for Sumatra’s wildlife – including critically endangered Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae) and elephants (Elephas maximus sumatranus). But the capacity of Tesso […]
Tag: elephants
Indonesian official charged, but not jailed, for trading in Sumatran tiger parts
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia — Authorities in Indonesia have charged three men, including a local political leader in Sumatra, with selling body parts from a Sumatran tiger, a critically endangered and protected species. Ahmadi, 41, the former head of Bener Meriah district in Aceh province, was arrested by provincial police along with two alleged accomplices while […]
Beware! The Dark Truth Behind Guruvayur Elephant Sanctuary in India
“Fifteen Hundred captives were cooped up in a shed built to accommodate probably 200 at the most. We were cold and hungry and there was not enough room for everyone to squat on the bare ground, let alone to lie down. One five-ounce piece of bread was our only food in four days.” A holocaust […]
Cash-strapped Zimbabwe pushes to be allowed to sell its ivory stockpile
HWANGE, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe’s government recently concluded a conference to attempt to rally international support for the sale of its ivory stockpile. It argues that selling some of the 136 metric tons of elephant ivory and rhino horn that it’s holding — mostly from animals that died of natural causes — could fund its conservation […]
Asian Elephants Are Ingesting Large Amounts of Plastic From Landfills in India
The highly social and endangered Asian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) lives in matriarch-led groups and, in addition to foods that can be found in the wild like grasses and the roots, bark and leaves of trees, enjoys foods cultivated by humans like rice and bananas, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Unfortunately, remnants of these […]
Zimbabwe seeks backing to sell stockpile of seized elephant ivory
Zimbabwe is seeking international support to be allowed to sell its stockpile of seized ivory, saying the 600 million US dollars it expects to earn is urgently needed for the conservation of its rapidly growing elephant population which it describes as “dangerous”. Officials from the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority showed ambassadors from […]
Inside how Botswana’s trophy hunting is making the rich richer and the poor poorer
Botswana’s trophy hunting which was supposed to benefit local communities is instead shifting wealth from them to the country’s big businessmen- Sunday Standard investigations have revealed. In the latest development, a company owned by business mogul Derek Brink has strong armed an Okavango Delta based community trust to award them an elephant hunting quota at […]
Many elephants are dying due to drought in Kenya
Last year, Kenya lost 62 elephants in five months due to drought, even as the Wildlife Ministry prepared to build water pans in National Parks to prevent further deaths. Najib Balala, the Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary, told parliament that the elephants disappeared between August and December 2021. “From August to December, 62 elephants died […]