2,000 Elephants Disappear - Likely Killed by Poachers

Aerial photo of dead elephants poached for their ivory.

Aerial photo taken by the Wildlife Conservation Society of elephants slaughtered for their ivory in Zakouma National Park.

An upsurge in poaching at the last stronghold for the savanna elephants of Africa’s Sahel region is probably responsible for the disappearance of 2,000 of the animals from the reserve over the past two years.

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) say ivory poachers using automatic weapons have decimated the elephant population in Chad’s Zakouma National Park, leaving only about 1,000 of the animals still living there.

“It's incredibly heartbreaking to stand before a dead elephant missing only its tusks,” said WCS researcher Mike Fay.

Accelerated poaching reversed a trend that saw elephant numbers rebound due to conservation efforts from an estimated 1,100 in 1985 to about 3,500 in early 2006, WSC says.

Civil unrest has made conservation efforts exceedingly difficult to conduct in Chad. Several park guards have been shot and killed in recent years.

"The situation in Zakouma is dire, but there is still time to save the park's remaining elephants provided we can marshal the forces we need to stop poaching," said WCS President and CEO Steven E. Sanderson.

Photo: Mike Fay - Wildlife Conservation Society