Africa’s elephant population has plummeted from roughly a million in 1970 to around 400,000 today – a decline which is largely blamed on poaching for their ivory tusks. At its peak in 2011, poaching claimed 36,000 elephants a year, or one every 15 minutes.
Humans have been over-exploiting African elephants for centuries.
After years of claims and counterclaims about the status of Africa’s two elephant species, the world’s largest environmental organisation has finally listed them as being under extreme threat.
Botswana’s recent upsurge in rhino poaching is reaching a crisis point. More than 100 rhinos have been poached in under two years from a population of less than 400. Yet, the government remains resolute in its denial of a growing catastrophe.
You’ve heard about the Big Five, but probably not about the “Sick Five” — a frightening package of diseases that goes unchecked in the captive lion breeding industry.
The recent decision by the Namibian government to sell 170 elephants has been met with public outcries, media articles full of unsubstantiated accusations and considerable confusion.
