Elephants for Africa is a charity that is committed to protecting the endangered African elephant through research and education.
Working towards human-wildlife coexistence, Elephants for Africa conduct research to conserve the African elephant through understanding the ecological and social requirements of male African elephants and put these into the context of human-wildlife conflict. Working in Botswana with local and international researchers to deliver scientific data to local decision-makers, they also run education programmes that focus on developing the conservation leaders of the future and empowering local communities.
The Problem
20,000 African elephants are being killed each year for their ivory – that’s an average of 55 a day.
Africa Has Lost a Third of Its Elephants in Just 7 Years-New research shows that poachers are killing off 8 percent of savanna elephants a year while the number of forest elephants has fallen 62 percent since 2002. We are losing African elephants at an alarming rate. Less than 500,000 remain in the wild and 70% of these utilise areas outside of protected areas. In 2016 the most brutal poaching was carries out in Botswana, the hacked-up bodies of at least 26 elephants were discovered in Botswana’s heavily protected Chobe National Park, the largest and most brutal poaching event the park has ever experienced. This activity is getting more frequent and needs to be stopped.
The Cause
Elephants are running out of time and space. Poachers are killing them for their ivory, and expanding human populations means that wild elephants are increasingly coming into conflict with human settlements and agricultural land.
The Solution
Over 1,000 People Have Died Doing This Elephant Protector’s Job. Why? Because across Africa, one elephant is killed every 15 minutes for their ivory by poachers. And, as one of the DSWT / Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Anti-Poaching rangers, it’s his job to keep Kenya’s elephant herds and other wildlife safe from ivory and rhino horn poachers, bush meat poachers and charcoal burners. Elephants for Africa aim to understand the daily needs of elephants and humans and seek local solutions for local problems. Elephants for Africa strives to protect, conserve and educate to ensure a future for wild populations of African elephant and move towards humans and wildlife coexisting. Stephen’s team and all our Anti-Poaching work, in partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Service, is funded primarily through global donations from members of the public who want to see Africa’s iconic wildlife safe for future generations. The killing of an elephant family of five in Tsavo West National Park on July 27 only shows we need more Rangers like him on the ground to keep Africa’s elephants safe. To mark World Ranger Day today, you can leave a message of support for Stephen and the teams in the comments below, or directly fund his teams’ activities by making a donation to support our Anti-Poaching Teams at: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org
Aims
To increase knowledge and understanding of male elephants, the main instigators of conflict with local communities
To increase tolerance for wildlife, in particular elephants
To empower and inspire the conservation leaders of the future
Please Support Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Anti Poaching Wildlife protectors
[…] 20,000 African elephants are being killed each year for their ivory […]