What is poaching elephants

Learn more about ivory poaching trends: Under poaching pressure, elephants are evolving to lose their tusks. Chase points to two concessions in the Okavango Delta that have anti-poaching patrols—in those highly monitored areas, Elephants Without Borders found no elephants that had been killed for their ivory. All rights reserved. Wildlife Watch is an investigative reporting project between National Geographic Society and National Geographic Partners focusing on wildlife crime and exploitation.

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About , African elephants were poached between and With only about , elephants left in Africa, the animals are in danger of being eliminated there. They survive in small groups that are heavily protected.

They are considered a vulnerable species, while the Asian elephant is endangered. Recent research has found that if elephants continue to be poached, the decrease in population will affect the majority of the forests in Central Africa. This is due to the way elephants help disperse seeds, spreading different species of plants much further than would happen without them. The nitrogen contained in elephant dung also plays a vital role in these forests, as nitrogen is essential for tree growth.

Fewer elephants means less tree growth, and that impacts the plants and animals that thrive in those environments. Elephant poaching also affects communities. Rangers who help protect elephants and other wildlife are also in danger of being killed by poachers, further increasing the harm to individuals, families and communities. What is being done to stop elephant poaching? There are two basic ways to help prevent poaching: reduce the demand for ivory and reduce the supply though protective measures.

Researchers believe that demand for ivory primarily stems from eastern Asian countries, especially China. Ivory has long been in demand in China, and as more people there become able to afford it, the market for it has grown, which encourages poaching. China did pass an ivory trade ban in , but as long as people want ivory, elephant poaching is likely to continue. Another way to reduce poaching is by having more effective law enforcement to protect the elephants throughout Africa.

However, this can be complicated by the fact that impoverished communities are more likely to allow poaching as it may be one of the few ways for people to support their families. If you, like many people, want to help end elephant poaching and protect these animals and the environments in which they live, there are a variety of things you can do.

Do not buy ivory or products that contain it. Speak out against poaching, and support the anti-elephant-poaching organization of your choice.

The International Anti-Poaching Foundation was founded in Since then, it has taken a novel and effective approach to conservation, transforming what has traditionally been an adversarial approach to one that is an empowering, innovative and gender-diverse model with a goal of protecting habitats and wildlife.

Our animal conservation organization not only protects and restores nature but helps empower indigenous communities while enhancing national conservation efforts. As an anti-poaching charity, we look at the big picture. IAPF starts from the ground up, targeting and working with the local residents who live near the habitat and wildlife that need protecting.

IAPF educates, trains and empowers local women so that they can become rangers. These women are rewarded with consistent income and the opportunity to have jobs that are respected in their community. And "declines over decades" have driven the species into the two highest categories of extinction threat. Genetic evidence showed them to be two distinct species more than a decade ago. But accurate assessments - of populations, trends in their numbers and the threats they face - take many years.

The situation differs from country to country. In Botswana, for example, it has been argued that there are so many elephants that the ecosystem cannot naturally support them. But, on a continent-wide scale, the giant mammals are in decline. Despite peaking in , poaching for ivory remained a "significant driver" of the decline, he told BBC News.