Massive Drop in African Elephants (According to new Study) (1 Viewer)

Saint_Ward

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New elephant study shows catastrophic decline in Africa - CNN.com

Linyanti Swamp, Botswana (CNN) — Scanning Botswana's remote Linyanti swamp from the low flying chopper, elephant ecologist Mike Chase can't hide the anxiety and dread as he sees what he has seen too many times before.

"I don't think anybody in the world has seen the number of dead elephants that I've seen over the last two years," he says.

From above, we spot an elephant lying on its side in the cracked river mud. From a distance it could be mistaken for a resting animal.

But the acrid stench of death hits us before we even land.

Up close, it is a horror.

He was a magnificent bull right in his prime, 45 to 50 years old. To get at his prized ivory tusks, poachers hacked off his face.

Slaughtered for their ivory, the elephants are left to rot, their carcasses dotting the dry riverbed; in just two days, we counted the remains of more than 20 elephants in a small area.

Visitors and managers at the tourist camps here are frequently alarmed by the sound of gunshots nearby.

And Chase worries that if Botswana can't protect its elephants, there's little hope for the species as a whole.

I'll just link the picture, but they're all in the article.

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/160830152102-great-elephants-mike-chase-super-169.jpg

The Ivory trade really needs to stop. The local soldiers even have shoot to kill orders for Poachers, but they can't cross borders.

Just a terrible thing to an amazing creature.
 
I really hate this. It bothers me to simply hunt and kill an animal for only its ivory, its wrong on so many levels. something should be done about the illegal ivory trade.
 
They will be gone in 10 years...if that long. I know people have strong feelings about elephants in zoos, but I have to believe that if Audobon Zoo had a couple of African elephants they'd live longer here than they would there. No, it's not a long term solution, but watching them get slaughtered is the alternative.
 
This is disgusting. Sometimes I really hate people. The evil that's done fire money, for greed...It's disturbing.
 
Poachers should be shot on sight, don't get me started on how effed up China is in regards to this crap. Same goes for the Japanese 'fishermen' who massacre hundreds of dolphins per year at Taji Cove...
 
South Africa has just decided to dehorn every rhino possible. Ive seen a vid of a rhino found with most of muzzle sawed off for his horn, yet left alive. He was mercifully put down. Ill never forget that sight.

Yes, poachers should be shot. They are, but theyre like drug dealers. Shoot one and 3 more pop up.
 
South Africa has just decided to dehorn every rhino possible. Ive seen a vid of a rhino found with most of muzzle sawed off for his horn, yet left alive. He was mercifully put down. Ill never forget that sight.

Yes, poachers should be shot. They are, but theyre like drug dealers. Shoot one and 3 more pop up.

Maybe if we legalize it then it will stop.
 
South Africa has just decided to dehorn every rhino possible. Ive seen a vid of a rhino found with most of muzzle sawed off for his horn, yet left alive. He was mercifully put down. Ill never forget that sight.

Yes, poachers should be shot. They are, but theyre like drug dealers. Shoot one and 3 more pop up.

Here's the difference... there aren't 7 billion elephants on this planet...
 
I'd like to see more on the economic stressors that create poachers. I get that there's a huge market in China and in other places but is it a situation where the local populace sees few other options? If that's the case, and it probably is, then it'll be hard to convince people not to poach for ivory as long as there is a demand. I'm in no way justifying it and have few problems with extreme prejudice towards poachers but this is an additional factor that makes this an uphill fight.
 
I really hate this. It bothers me to simply hunt and kill an animal for only its ivory, its wrong on so many levels. something should be done about the illegal ivory trade.

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