LIWONDE NATIONAL PARK, Malawi — Early one July morning, a helicopter with wildlife officials on board flies above the forests of Malawi’s Liwonde National Park in search of elephants. Within half an hour, a small herd has been spotted and the crew radios a support team on the ground. As the ground team gets in […]
Tag: elephants
Elephants in Southern Africa – Management Issues and Options
Elephant conservation in southern Africa has been remarkably successful over the last century. The region’s elephant populations collapsed in the late 1880s through over-hunting, but their numbers have since increased more than 20-fold; from less than a few thousand to 250,000 – 300,000 today. The overall biomass of elephants in southern Africa is now higher […]
Beyond bored apes: Blockchain polarizes wildlife conservation community
How do you raise funds for wildlife conservation in the most 21st century of ways? Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs. In the northeastern forests of South Africa, Wild Funds Tomorrow, a U.S.-based nonprofit, has done just that. Since 2017, the organization has been trying to raise funds to purchase land, remove fencing and clear vegetation to […]
Mother Elephant Asks Humans To Help Save Her Baby
When a mother elephant ran into the road to look for help, people were naturally afraid of her. Elephants are often listed among the most dangerous animals in the world, killing an estimated 500 people each year, according to Science Alert. When motorists saw the elephant approaching, they called the authorities according to Nature and […]
Head, limbs and shoes found after poachers eaten by lions during bungled rhino slaughter
To animal rights activists, those who kill majestic wild creatures for sport, pleasure or profit are very much the enemy. So when a known trophy hunter or poacher meets a bloody end, their opposers are unlikely to shed any tears. That was very much the case this week when Riaan Naude, a notorious trophy hunter […]
Human-wildlife conflict drives African wild dogs to extinction
The African wild dog has become one of the most critically endangered species in Africa. At one time, nearly 500 000 wild dogs roamed the continent, but now only an estimated 7 000 of them remain. With massively reduced numbers from the encroachment of farming activities, there is lack of genetic variation and a new […]
Trafficking crackdown pays off in Tanzania
In Katavi National Park, like other protected areas in Tanzania, wildlife poaching is a serious challenge. This is because the park has no fence, and any person can easily enter and kill animals if he is lucky enough to walk out uncaught. According to the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) website, more elephants are dying from […]
Patrols of elephants hunt for tigers after five people killed in grisly attacks
Authorities have sent out a team of elephants to hunt for a killer tiger after five people died in a string of gruesome attacks. Locals in Khairatiya, India vented their fury at forest rangers after Nagendra Singh, 33, became the village’s latest victim of violent big cats last Thursday (June 23). He had gone to […]