Elephant Poaching Out Of Control in Botswana

FYI -- This was an article published in August 2018, regarding the growing menace of Elephant Poaching in Botswana which is obviously now apparent to everybody.

I will never stop crying till I get Justice for the Elephants of Botswana who have been brutally slaughtered.

It seems very clear to me now that the Famed Elephant Sanctuaries of Botswana like Moremi Game Reserve stand completely exposed to the Nefarious Designs of Organized Elephant Poachers.

Here is the Story :

The carcass of a 40-year old elephant bull was found in Ngamiland, Northern Botswana, partly covered with still green Mopane bushes and half of its skull hacked away by poachers to remove its tusks. The bull was killed during full moon two days earlier.

“This recent incident brings the total number of poached elephant carcasses since our elephant survey began to 55. Thirty-three of the poached carcasses we suspect were killed in the last three months, while the remaining 22 are fresh and thought to have been killed within days of each other,” says Dr Mike Chase from Elephants Without Borders (EWB).

“The GPS locations of the dead elephants and photographic evidence were provided immediately to the authorities, who had no prior knowledge of these incidents,” Chase states.

Additional poaching incidents have been reported to the authorities, such as the fresh elephant carcass found two weeks ago in Linyanti. This incident was particularly brutal, as the elephant was found with a severed spine to stop it from moving while the poachers hacked its tusks away.

The hunting ban:

On the 5th of July, EWB and the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) started the 2018 wildlife census of northern Botswana, where its core conservation areas are located.

This aerial survey, expected to be completed by October this year, is even more pertinent after a motion was tabled by Maun East MP Mr Kostantinos Markus. Markus proposed to lift the hunting ban on elephants in Botswana in areas outside of game reserves and national parks, specially in marginal rangelands, to reduce human-elephant conflict.

Conservation organisations, such as EWB, say lifting the hunting ban will have little impact on human-elephant conflict, such as crop destruction. Trophy hunting targets mostly large bulls and happens during the dry season, while crops tend to be raided by young bulls or family herds during the rainy season.

On Thursday, the Minister of Natural Resources Conservation, Tshekedi Khama condemned calls by the assistant minister of Presidential Affairs, Mochana Shamukuni, calling on residents of the tourist town of Chobe to shoot elephants on sight for causing damage to their crops.

The decline in the elephant population:

The 2014 Great Elephant Census counted a total number of 352,271 Savanna elephants across 18 African countries. It estimated that the overall elephant population has declined by 30% since 2007, which is believed to be primarily due to poaching.

Botswana’s parliament passed the motion on the 21st June, reconsidering the 2014 hunting ban imposed by former president Ian Khama, after surveys showed declining wildlife populations in Northern Botswana.

Botswana’s elephant population is estimated at 130,000 and has been stable for the past 15 years, although the population seems to be decreasing in the Chobe area.

What is being done?

The current wildlife survey is planned to establish the latest numbers. However, nobody expected the ongoing survey to highlight an increase in wildlife poaching incidents and specially not this early in the process. The number of fresh poaching carcasses found so far in the 2018 census is already more than that recorded during the entire 2014 survey.

Poaching of wildlife and particularly elephant poaching occurs frequently along Botswana’s international borders and mostly foreign nationals have been implicated in ivory poaching and smuggling. However, this new data shows that wildlife poaching is on the increase from within Botswana’s borders and in some cases even close to game drive tracks and safari lodges.

A recent rhino poaching incident in the Ghanzi District, the second rhino poaching incident of the year in this area, is a further example of this trend and emphasises the need for the Botswana government to intensify their anti-poaching efforts.

“On the 17th of July, concerned by the increasing numbers of poached elephants the survey team was recording, I wrote a letter to His Excellency President Masisi, requesting his swift response to addressing illegal wildlife trafficking in Botswana,” says Chase.

Major General Otisitswe Tiroyamodimo, Director of the DWNP, responded:

“I convened a meeting of all security forces, with the assistance of the Commander of the Botswana Defence Force, to discuss this matter. Unfortunately, we agreed that the proceedings be kept to security forces and DWNP only. Safe to say a plan has been put in place to deal with the matter, but we must agree it involves some other countries and cannot be solved overnight.”

Chase responds, “It is difficult to ascertain how the authorities are responding to this increasing trend. At what stage do we pull our heads out of the sand and admit we have an elephant poaching problem and do something to stop it?”

Credits : The South African, August 2018.

Read what I had to say at an International Web Site Known as "The Conversation".

https://theconversation.com/why-botswana-is-no-longer-a-safe-haven-for-elephants-102776

Rare African Elephant Twins Thrill Conservationists in Tanzania

Conservationists working in Tanzania’s Tarangire National Park have not one but two good reasons to be hopeful for the park’s savanna elephant population: a pair of rare twin calves who have recently joined their mother’s herd.

Researchers for WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) who have been studying the Tarangire ecosystem’s northern subpopulation for 25 years recently spotted the calves—one male and one female—during their monitoring efforts and have been keeping a close eye on the infant animals. It is estimated that one percent of all elephant conceptions results in twins.

The scientists report that the mother elephant named Eloise, estimated to be 57 years old, gave birth to the twins in August 2017, which makes her the oldest mother elephant known to have given birth to twins.

Unfortunately, twin elephant calves have a bigger challenge than single offspring in the journey to adulthood; mortality among twins is usually greater than with single infants. Male infants, with their higher growth rates and greater nutritional needs, are particularly vulnerable during their infancy.

In spite of the odds, Tarangire researchers report that the twins are both doing well and are already approximately eight months old. They will continue to suckle with their mother for another three to four years while making the transition to the park’s lush vegetation.

“The twins were originally quite thin and we were worried that they wouldn't survive.

Fortunately the park has experienced good rains in the past three months, and both twins have gained significant weight and we are happy to see that they are now playing more frequently,” said Dr. Charles Foley, Director of WCS’s Tarangire Elephant Project. “The elephants in and around Tarangire National Park are well protected by the park rangers and local communities, and with the guidance of an experienced matriarch, we have high hopes for their survival. Every elephant calf born is a step towards the recovery of the species, and twins are even better.”

Mike Chase -- Elephant Conservationist Par Excellence

Dr. Mike Chase of Elephants Without Borders based in Botswana has been involved in Awesome Elephant Conservation over the past several years.

Over the past several years, He has brought several matters to the concern of the Authorities most specially that Poaching Clouds were rapidly gathering in Botswana.

He has been quite blunt in saying that Vast Elephant Herds in several parts of Northern Botswana are facing constant danger on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.

What he has been saying for some time, has been conveniently ignored by the Authorities that be.

What happened recently in Botswana where 90 Elephants were slaughtered for their tusks could just be the beginning of an Elephant Massacre that is underway in Botswana.

It seems that Male Elephants above the age of 35 appear to have been targeted by Poachers as they approached Water Holes for some badly needed hydration.

These Tuskers were carrying Ivory in the range of 60-70 Pounds or more.

What is appalling to me as an African Elephant Lover is that World Class Anti Poaching Units were Disarmed earlier this year resulting in a terrible spike in Elephant Poaching.

Elephant Herds all over Botswana are now at the mercy of Poachers as their Protectors are no longer active in protecting them 24-7.

How Can Botswana Rangers without Weapons take on Well Armed Poachers armed to the teeth with Semi Automatic and Automatic Assault Rifles.

In July 2016, Dr. Mike Chase uncovered an Elephant Massacre right in the Heart of Chobe National Park -- The Jewel of Northern Botswana. 24 Elephants were slaughtered in horrendous ways for their ivory. That was the beginning of what we are seeing now.

Elephants in Botswana in Prime Tourist Concessions are now being repeatedly targeted. This is terrible bad news for Genetic Diversity as many of these Bulls who were poached were Fathers and Grand Fathers.

When will this all end ??  When will the Authorities pull their socks up so to speak and take strict punitive action against Organized Elephant Poachers ??

There is no sense in the Authorities having their Head in the Sand kind of attitude and constantly denying what is taking place in the wilds of Botswana.

We are Failing the Elephants in the words of Dr. Mike Chase.

Elephant Saved By Vets in Kenya After Being Hit With Poison Arrows

FYI-- This is a Factual Event that took place towards the end of July 2018 in the Wilds of Kenya and was published by Africa Geographic in August 2018.

Here is the Story.

Struck with two poison arrows, A 45-year-old bull elephant faced a slow and painful death without intervention. Luckily, he was observed limping through Tsavo National Park in Kenya by a pilot from The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT) – which operates ten de-snaring teams in the region – who called in ground teams to treat him. After a dramatic and successful operation that involved a helicopter, fixed wing aircraft and numerous vehicles, he’s on the mend.

The elephant was initially observed in the late evening of 22 July 2018 as daylight was fading, making any operation to treat him at night too dangerous. Early next morning, DSWT pilots flew a Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) vet to the scene while ground teams prepared for the challenging operation in dense bush, which limited access and visibility for the rescuers.

The elephant was moved out of thick bush and into a clearing where he was darted by the vet from a DSWT helicopter hovering above, ensuring the team could have enough space and time to treat the elephant. Once sedated, the vet cleaned the animal’s first wound, cutting away rotten flesh destroyed by the arrow’s poison, before rolling the huge elephant over with a road grader so they could access the second wound on the other side of his body.

It took one hour to treat his wounds, and after administering long-acting antibiotics and a revival drug, the elephant was soon back on his feet.

Says Rob Brandford, Executive Director of the DSWT: “Without urgent treatment, this elephant would have died a very painful and slow death. As we celebrate World Elephant Day, we are reminded that every day across Africa, we are losing elephants to poachers and conflict with humans and that every individual matters.”

World Elephant Day, celebrated on 12th August 2018, aims to bring the world together to help elephants and raise awareness of the threats facing the species. An aerial census estimated Africa’s elephant population to be around 400,000 individuals, with 144,000 elephants lost to ivory poaching and habitat destruction in less than a decade.

Tsavo National Park is a safe haven for Kenya’s wildlife and home to more than 12,000 elephants – Kenya’s largest single population. Safeguarding this wilderness in support of the Kenya Wildlife Service is The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, East Africa’s oldest and most pioneering conservation charity. Their operations, which include de-snaring teams, aerial surveillance and a sniffer dog squad, patrol to stop wildlife crimes in the protected area, prevent habitat loss and work with communities to prevent human-elephant conflict – a growing threat to elephants across Africa. They also operate five mobile veterinary units across Kenya in partnership with the KWS, including in Tsavo.

Arrows and spears can be used to kill elephants for their ivory, but are also used by communities to protect themselves and their property when elephants leave protected areas in search of food. It is unknown how this elephant incurred his injuries.

Adds Rob Brandford: “Humans are the root cause of so many threats facing elephants. Veterinary initiatives are one of a plethora of solutions we have in place to save this magnificent species”.

Credits : Africa Geographic, August 13, 2018 

Elephants With A Purpose

In the uMkhuze section of iSimangaliso Wetland Park, part of the Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area, elephants are flourishing. Following the reintroduction of the species into the game reserve during the 1990s, the numbers rapidly grew to a healthy 139 strong elephant population today.

In a world where more than 30,000 elephants are lost to poaching each year, this is a true management success story for conservation partner Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife, but one that, unfortunately, now has also started to present its own challenges. This is because uMkhuze, one of South Africa’s oldest game parks (est. 1912), only offers a range of 43,000 ha with a finite carrying capacity for these gentle giants.

Only 150 kilometres to the west of uMkhuze, Ezemvelo’s Ithala Game Reserve struggles with the same challenge of effectively maintaining their blossoming elephant population within the reserve’s approximately 30,000 ha protected area.

“There are various ways in which an overpopulation of elephants can be managed. This includes culling, contraceptives, as well as translocations. In both uMkhuze and Ithala, contraceptive plans have already been put into action. This will, however, take time to significantly contain numbers – time that the reserve does not have as the tightly contained herds of elephants start to disrupt ecosystems and diminish resources,” explained Dave Cooper, Wildlife Veterinarian for Ezemvelo.

Elephant relocation in South Africa:

It really ‘takes a village’ to safely and respectfully capture and transport these gentle giants. Team members are assigned to make sure the elephants trunks remain unobstructed, that their eyes are covered, and that their overall health seems uncompromised whilst under sedation.

Accordingly, last week, expert teams from Elephants, Rhinos & People, Conservation Solutions, and Ezemvelo, supported by the Department of Environmental Affairs, came together to capture 29 of the uMkhuze and 24 of the Ithala elephants and transport them safely through a 1,250 km journey with greater purpose. By removing a significant percentage of the elephant population from the reserves, it potentially negates any need for further extreme elephant management interventions for at least the next 10 to 15 years.

The elephants crossed two borders and traversed three countries (South Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique). Less than two days later, they were released into the care of Peace Parks Foundation and Mozambique’s National Administration for Conservation Areas who co-manage the elephant’s new home – Zinave National Park.

iSimangaliso’s Park Operations Director Sizo Sibiya – who in 1994 was a section ranger at uMkhuze when the elephants first arrived – commented: “We must remember that protected areas are managed not only for the benefit of specific species, but rather holistically for all biodiversity. In the case of the flourishing uMkhuze elephant population, their numbers are reaching a point where a noticeable impact can be seen on the trees. This proposal to donate some of them to Zinave was a win-win solution for all of us.”

ERP, supported by groupelephant.com, funded and coordinated the translocation operation as part of their drive to translocate large elephant numbers outside of South African borders, to alleviate the country’s increasing elephant population pressures. Helicopter time and fuel was sponsored by Wild Tomorrow Fund.

Elephant relocation in South Africa and Mozambique:

With their legs bound by strong, soft tethers, the elephants are very carefully and gently lifted by sturdy crane into the transport containers. Extensive physiological monitoring has shown that elephants are not at all compromised by being upside down for a few minutes.

Lise-Marie Greeff-Villet, Communications Coordinator for Peace Parks Foundation, shared: “Observing the elephant capture operations was like watching a well-choreographed dance. It was breathtaking to see the skill with which game capture teams, veterinarians, rangers, pilots, and drivers coordinated their responsibilities; and even more beautiful the passion and care that accompanied every interaction with, and touch of, an elephant.”

Zinave, situated within the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area, offers a protected space of 408,000 ha with prime elephant habitat, more than sufficient water resources, and only a handful of local elephants – positioning the uMkhuze and Ithala elephants to proliferate as the progenitors of a thriving new elephant population. The new elephants will bring the total elephant population in the Park to about 67, a number that is expected to double over the next 10 years.

The elephants will initially be released into an electrically-fenced 18,600 ha sanctuary. This will allow them to settle into their new environment and be introduced to the family herd that has been resident in the sanctuary for the past year. Safeguarding the wildlife within Zinave is of course paramount to Park management. Through significant funding from Peace Parks Foundation, the Park’s protection capabilities were recently reinforced with 26 newly trained and appointed rangers, ranger base camps, patrol equipment and digital communication systems – all as part of advanced and integrated anti-poaching strategies.

The ‘destructive’ behaviour that resulted in the elephants’ move from uMkhuze and Ithala, is exactly what will now benefit the ecosystem balance in Zinave. With almost no wildlife present in the Park for decades, the vegetation has become extremely overgrown and dense. Peace Parks Foundation has been rewilding the conservation area for the past few years and the close to 1,250 animals, mostly grazers, brought in have already started to change the flora landscape for the better. However, the elephants will now take this to a whole new level.

As Bernard van Lente, Peace Parks Foundation’s Project Manager in Zinave, notes: “The elephants will stimulate biodiversity by trampling and, thereby, opening up space in overgrown areas, allowing for other species of grasses and smaller saplings to gain access to sunlight, currently blocked out by dominant, larger tree species. The spaces opened up by elephants will also create pathways for other species and expose grasses and flora for these grazers to eat, food that would otherwise have been inaccessible. In addition, the proliferation of other insects attracted to elephant dung also provides food for birds and bats, which in turn helps spark the increase in other species, known as ‘succession’.”

‘’We are very excited about the positive impact these cross-border elephant translocations will have on reducing elephant population pressures in South Africa, whilst establishing new populations in areas such as Zinave National Park. This is also the first of what will hopefully be many more meaningful projects conducted by ERP in Mozambique in collaboration with Peace Parks Foundation‘’, said Dereck Milburn, Director Operations for ERP.

Rewilding Mozambique’s protected areas is a primary focus in Peace Parks Foundation’s strategy for the development of transfrontier conservation areas in the region, with repopulated parks hopefully leading the way in revitalising the country’s eco-tourism economies.

Credits : Africa Geographic, July 2018

New Life For Elephants At Nyika National Park

Malawi’s Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining through the Department of National Parks and Wildlife, supported by South African-based NGO, Peace Parks Foundation, this month translocated 34 elephants from Liwonde National Park to the plateau of Nyika National Park.

As the last elephants disappeared into the thick bush of their new home to reunite with the rest of their family unit, game capture and veterinarian teams exchange glances of relief – grateful that their skill and dedication had been able to keep these African giants safe during the 700km journey from Liwonde to Nyika.

It is never a conservationist’s first choice to put even one elephant through such a potentially arduous experience, and even more so, 34 elephants. In Liwonde, though, the carrying capacity for elephant had been far exceeded. Nyika, on the other hand, still offers ample space, and indeed, will benefit from the addition of new elephant groups to improve viability of the herd and fast-track recovery of critical numbers – making this translocation a win for both the elephants and the park.

A mere three decades ago, more than 300 elephants graced the steep foothills of the Nyika Plateau spanning the international boundary between Malawi and Zambia. Tragically, extreme poaching pressure resulted in an estimated 67% decline in this population since 1992.

Now, only approximately 100 elephants can still be found roaming the 3,200 km² Nyika National Parks (the two parks with the same name straddle the international border between Malawi and Zambia), a core component of the Malawi Zambia Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA). With the signing of the Treaty by the Heads of State of Malawi and Zambia to formally establish the TFCA in 2015, the German Government through KfW and Peace Parks Foundation as implementing partners, is making a grant of €18m available to develop the TFCA over five years.

Thanks to increased anti-poaching efforts made possible through the TFCA establishment process, the Nyika National Park has seen a steady increase of wildlife over the years. This trend is also evident in the growth of the elephant population that has multiplied considerably from the mere 32 elephants counted in 2004. With the additional 34 elephant now being released into the Park, new genes will be introduced to bolster the population health of the resident population.

Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining, the Honourable Aggrey Masi, reiterated Malawi’s commitment: “We are committed to intensifying anti-poaching operations and supporting community development in areas adjacent to these protected areas. One road to achieving this, is through good conservation management that leads to the development of a healthy eco-tourism industry. Supplementing the elephant population in Nyika will not only have long-term benefit for elephant conservation, but will at the same time benefit communities surrounding the park through the spin-offs from growth in tourism.”

The translocation was initiated by the Government of Malawi, and funded by Peace Parks Foundation through a substantial investment received from Stichting Dioraphte.

Much of the funding is being used to ensure the seamless and safe acclimatisation of the elephants to their new environment. For the next twelve months, the elephants will remain in a newly constructed sanctuary of 7,000ha that is big enough for them to feed naturally from the vegetation.

They will be monitored closely on a daily basis and only once the newly introduced herd is established, will they be released into the larger park. A light aircraft has also been purchased and two staff members of the country’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife will be trained as pilots. The aerial support will aid in monitoring the translocated elephants once released from the sanctuary, as well as with day-to-day conservation management within Nyika National Parks and Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve.

In addition, the Matriarch Elephants have been fitted with VHF and satellite collars, to enable tracking of their movements.

Peace Parks Foundation CEO, Werner Myburgh remarked that “With an estimated 30 000 elephant being poached across Africa each year, and habitat loss impacting on the species even further, all efforts should be made to secure intact ecosystems that will provide sufficient habitat range for this flagship species.

Spanning an area of over 26,756 km², the Nyika – North Luangwa component of the Transfrontier Conservation Area between Malawi and Zambia is positioned to become one of the important strongholds for elephant conservation in future.”

Credits : Africa Geographic, April 2018

Tim, An Iconic Tusker of Amboseli National Park

On a beautiful sunny day in Amboseli National Park, against the backdrop of snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro, a small group of cars was gathered at a safe distance around the prostrate bull elephant.

The elephant lay still in the dust, head on the ground, his enormous tusks and trunk stretched out in front of him. Tension rose among the onlookers as the minutes passed.

Then the huge elephant flapped his ear, got up gently, shook his head vigorously in a vain attempt to dislodge the strange object around his neck, and walked off. We all breathed a sigh of relief. The operation to attach a tracking collar to Tim had gone perfectly.

 We gathered around as, Kitili Mbathi, Director General of Kenya Wildlife Service, thanked veterinary staff and KWS rangers for their professionalism in conducting the operation, and the NGOs present for their support: WildlifeDirect for initiating the plan and providing the finance, Save The Elephants (STE) for donating the collar, and Big Life Foundation and the Amboseli Trust for Elephants for their logistic and scientific back-up.

Addressing members of local Maasai communities present, Mr. Mbathi said: “We are committed to exploring effective methods to keep our communities safe while securing all of our elephants, especially valuable individuals like Tim.” The collar would keep Tim safe—and away from farmers’ crops.

But how does it work, one of the Maasai women asked. Frank Pope of STE explained the technology once an hour the collar lets out a beep, inaudible to humans, that sends details of his location to a satellite. This information can be picked up by rangers on their mobile phones so they know where he is. Fascinated, the women crowded around his phone to see how the information was displayed. “I get it,” one lady said. “It’s works just the same way as my cow bells.”

 A security team tracks Tim’s position on a map on the cell phone. If it shows him moving close to agricultural areas, they can respond, move in to head him off before he causes any trouble. If the GPS shows Tim standing still for several hours, it sends an alert that Tim may be in trouble.

The great tuskers – elephants at risk:

Tim is one of the last remaining great tuskers in Kenya. This is the term used to describe African elephants—usually males—whose tusks are so long that they reach the ground. The great tuskers are an irreplaceable symbol of our continent’s unique natural heritage. But their magnificent tusks act like a magnet for poachers (and in some countries still for trophy hunters) and mean that these elephants are constantly at risk.

Over the years, the systematic extermination by hunters and poachers of big tuskers—and their gene pool—has acted as a form of “unnatural selection” that is the reverse of Darwin’s theory: as a result most elephants in Africa today have smaller tusks than they did 100 years ago.

2014 was a black year, when two of Kenya’s most iconic great tuskers, Satao and Mountain Bull, were killed by poachers.Thankfully, Tim is still alive and known to be a prolific father. He is much sought after by females in oestrus and has spent his adult life passing on his genes to elephant population in Amboseli. Now 47 years old, Tim was named by Cynthia Moss, founder of the Amboseli Trust for Elephants, as part of what has become the world’s longest running scientific study of the species. His name indicates that he is a member of the “T family”, like his mother Trista.

I have interacted with Tim several times and his name matches his feisty personality. He is friendly, smart and charismatic, popular among tourists and looked up to by younger bull elephants.

Unfortunately he is also, on occasion, a crop raider. As he enters late middle age, he seems to be getting more brazen. Moreover the younger males in his entourage are learning from his example.

This means that Tim is less popular among local farmers. The Maasai traditionally revere elephants.

However the expansion of commercial agricultural in areas once dedicated to livestock production is increasingly bringing people into conflict with elephants. Although Amboseli elephants are not usually aggressive, they can be bad-tempered and their large size makes them dangerous. In 2016 alone, 8 people have been killed by elephants in the area and 6 more have been seriously injured.

An elephant raid on a crop plantation can have a devastating impact on family livelihoods. When farmers find elephants in their crops at night, tempers quickly get inflamed. In Amboseli, farmers often take matters into their own hands and try to scare the elephants away with flares and noises as well as spears. Tim has survived more than one spear attack, and has the scars to prove it.

The urgency of our campaign was thrown into stark relief the next day when it was reported that another bull had been discovered dead in a nearby ranch, killed by poachers for his tusks. The bull could not be identified because of the state of the carcass. He died anonymously without much grieving. I couldn’t help feeling acutely aware that this could have been Tim. Gone without us even knowing it was him.

We know we can’t collar all our elephants, but hope that by keeping Tim alive he will serve as an inspiration in the search for sustainable solutions to the multiple threats facing elephants: poaching, human wildlife conflict and lack of space caused by habitat destruction.

I will leave the last words to Scott Asen, the benefactor who made it all possible:

To collar a majestic wild animal so that he can live out his life in peace and safety is an unnatural act. To build fences where farms have been allowed to encroach on historic migration paths in order to protect the lives of both settlers and animals—those, too, are unnatural acts. But if that’s what it takes to protect our wildlife, I support and encourage all of it.

Human population growth along with wholesale abuse of the environment have put us at war with wildlife. And it is a war that, if humanity isn’t careful, we will win. But it will be a tragic and Pyrrhic victory of epic proportion. Very simply, I worry that a world without animals will be a world we won’t want to—or be able to—live in. The last stop on the road to our own extinction.

Postscript, 16 September: Since being collared, Tim has rejoined his friends and has been observed peacefully in Amboseli National Park

Credits : The Guardian, September 2016