Aug 31, 2023 at 10:44 PM Update: 3 hours ago
The number of African savannah elephants seems to have increased slightly. The elephant is threatened by poaching, deforestation and climate change, among other things. The fact that the population is nevertheless not decreasing is a good sign.
For the first time since 2016, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) investigated how the savannah elephant is doing in Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA), the world’s largest nature reserve.
The nature reserve extends across five African countries: Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. In 2016, 216,970 elephants were counted, this year there were about 227,900. In Zambia the number of elephants had decreased, but in the other countries it increased.
The WWF speaks of a “stable population”. “The fact that there is no decrease compared to the 2016 count shows that protection from the different countries works,” says Christiaan van der Hoeven, WWF KAZA expert.
“Poaching remains a point of attention and so is climate change, especially given the current major drought and recent floods. The fact that despite these factors there has been no decline is a good sign.”
Tight flight schedule should prevent duplications
For months researchers counted with the naked eye and with special cameras how many savannah elephants roam the nature reserve. Pilot teams flew over the area during the dry season, when the animals are best seen. The teams mutually coordinated who flew where and when to avoid double counting.
The African bush elephant is the largest and best known of the two African elephant species. The animal is on the Red List of endangered species. The savannah elephant is threatened by poaching, deforestation and climate change, among other things.
Beeld: Getty Images
Read more about:
South AfricaAnimalsGood news
2023-08-31 20:44:31
#Number #African #savannah #elephants #increased #slightly #Animals
