Sunday 27 January 2013

Social structure of elephant families altered by poaching


One of Africa's best-studied elephant populations reveals the disturbing impacts of poaching
January 2013. The devastating impacts of a recent surge in ivory poaching have been chronicled in detail by new research on one of Africa's best-studied elephant populations.

Almost a thousand elephants in Samburu, Northern Kenya, have been closely monitored over the last decade and a half. Over the last four years intensive poaching caused by demand for their tusks has disrupted their close-knit society.

The illegal killing of elephants is increasing rapidly across the continent as the price of ivory has soared. Massacres in Central Africa's National Parks last year are now being echoed elsewhere in Kenya, including a well-publicised incident in Tsavo National Park on January 4th 2013.

Research conducted by Save the Elephants (STE), a Kenya-based conservation organisation, gives the first detailed analysis of the impacts of illegal killing on a well-studied population.

"Unfortunately, illegal killing and related population decline is increasingly common across Africa, therefore the results from this study are directly relevant to understanding the conservation status of this species," said Dr George Wittemyer of the Colorado State University and STE, who led the study.

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