Massacre Of 100 Elephants In Botswana
The ivory war continues to threaten the nature of Africa. The elephant slaughter in Botswana has been confirmed as one of the largest cases of elephant poaching in Africa, with around 100 dead.
Let’s find out more about the elephant slaughter in Botswana.
The killing of 100 elephants
The tragic discovery of nearly 100 dead elephants occurred during the flight of a helicopter of the NGO Elephants Without Borders in Botswana, a nation considered the first in the world for elephant population.
Protecting elephants from poaching is one of the main goals of ecological organizations in Africa.
Nonetheless, on this occasion they seem to have lost a battle in the ivory war.
It is estimated that a third of African elephants have been killed in recent years.
In the case of regions like Tanzania, the figures are even more alarming.
In the past five years, 60% of African elephants have disappeared, and the number of tuskless ones is growing more and more.
Botswana, the last hope for elephants
This country is considered the last remaining elephant sanctuary, as 13,000 elephants still live within its borders, currently the largest population in the world.
The attack on nearly 100 elephants took place a few kilometers from the wildlife sanctuary of the Okavango Delta, an area that attracts tourists from all over the world and which today mourns the tragic disappearance of dozens of elephants.
According to NGO members, the poachers are hunting elephants with large caliber bullets, which suggests the seriousness of their intentions. Probably the most tragic aspect of these mass hunts is that the only ones to survive are the puppies, almost completely devoid of fangs, and destined to be orphaned.
Elephants are extremely social animals, as well as being one of the species in which females rule.
This aspect is crucial since matriarchs lead the herd of elephants, and their loss can generate a ripple effect.
Of the 100 recently hunted specimens, most were over the age of 35, and their corpses were left to rot in the sun among the remnants of their brutally torn fangs.
African elephant hunting facts
According to staff at the NGO Elephants Without Borders, this trend has caught on more in recent months, with nearly double the number of animals hunted than anywhere else in Africa.
Conservationists attribute this phenomenon to the government and its inability to take a stand against illegal hunting.
Ivory is a business that continues to generate huge revenues: in China, precious ivory objects are processed, which cost 846 euros per kilo. The tusks of an average-sized elephant weigh in at 30 pounds!
To get an idea of the danger in which African elephant populations find themselves, it should be remembered how 30 years ago the total elephant population exceeded one million.
For this very reason, efforts to protect this endangered species must be doubled, especially in countries like Botswana.
The African elephant is one of the last representatives of the planet’s megafauna, which persists only in the African savannah.
Humans have exterminated the largest herbivores on the planet on many continents and, although those who populate Africa continue to resist, their survival is threatened by money issues.
