As East Africa faces its ongoing drought challenges, the dwindling resources can sometimes cause unusual impacts to wildlife. That was the case in Kenya last week, when two elephants got stuck in the mud that was left behind as water levels became low at a dam near the Tanzanian border….
The African forest elephant has been added to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, following the announcement Thursday that new genetic evidence means it will be treated as a distinct species separate from the African savanna elephant. The forest elephant, Loxodonta cyclotis, is now considered critically endangered because of the…
Authorities in Botswana say that toxic cyanobacteria, a kind of algae found in water sources, is behind the mysterious death of elephant herds earlier this year. Dr. Mmadi Reuben, the principal veterinary officer for the Department of Wildlife & National Parks, said Monday that the laboratory samples of water obtained…
On World Elephant Day, environmental champion and conservationist Jane Goodall is leading the charge to protect elephants with a campaign to end the legal ivory trade in Canada. “The ongoing slaughter of African elephants for their tusks has decimated elephant populations. Today, this magnificent animal is highly endangered and on…
Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft and philanthropist with a special heart for the African continent, died in the United States on Monday. He was 65 and suffered from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Allen’s death was announced by Vulcan, the Seattle-based umbrella company formed to manage a range of projects and global campaigns,…
The Government of Botswana says that this week’s gripping news of 90 elephant poaching fatalities in the country is misleading and sensationalized. Thato Raphaka, the secretary for the Ministry of Lands, said Wednesday that Botswana’s findings are not consistent with data attributed to Elephants Without Borders (EWB), which has been…
The United States said Friday it was postponing a decision on importing African elephant-hunt trophies, following a global outcry from wildlife and environmental activists. President Donald Trump said he was putting the big game trophy decision affecting Zambia and Zimbabwe on hold until all the conservation facts had been reviewed….
Beginning on Friday, the United States will reverse its ban on importing elephant-hunt trophies from Zambia and Zimbabwe, while keeping the Tanzania ban in place and under review. It’s a move that’s sparking outrage from wildlife and environmental activists, who question the reversal by President Donald Trump’s administration of a…
In Botswana, nine elephants have died from electrocution that happened when they were trying to reach a pond, but accidentally knocked down a utility pole while trying to get past it to get to the water. Authorities with the Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) say they went to the Dukwi community…
An environmental watchdog group says its investigation of ivory smuggling in Mozambique uncovered evidence of a Chinese-led criminal network, operating through the southern city of Shuidong that they claim is a route for some 80 percent of all elephant-tusk ivory originating in Africa. The report, released Tuesday by the UK-based…
The Chinese government announced Friday that it will ban ivory trade by the end of 2017, doing so across the industry in phases that are planned for completion by this time next year. The plan targets commercial processing and sales, according to a translated release, in a process that will…
Bostwana held firmly Monday to its decision to support an ivory trade ban, a move that stood in sharp contrast to that taken by the European Union and those of surprised neighboring African countries gathered at the CITES meeting in Johannesburg. “Although Botswana has previously supported limited trade, we recognize…