tough couple of years. A growing demand
transformed Africa's savannas and forests into
killing fields. pursued relentlessly by poachers
who have little respect for country borders
and protected areas but a high regard for
found dead with precision gunshot wounds
to their heads in Garamba national park
in the Democratic republic of the congo.
members of Uganda's military, suspected of
using a helicopter to kill elephants and ferry
away the ivory, were
implicated. meanwhile,
in somalia, Al shabab
militants are suspected
of funding their terrorist
operations with ivory
from elephants poached
in Kenya.
protected areas
provide the backbone
for protecting wildlife
in a changing Africa,
which is why AWF has
always worked to ensure wildlife authorities
have the equipment and training they need
to effectively patrol and defend these areas.
Furthermore, because the surrounding
community areas serve as buffers and provide
a much-needed first line of defense against
poachers and trespassers, AWF has developed
economic and educational opportunities for
communities in exchange for setting aside
community land for wildlife use and protecting
that land with community scouts.
and authorities to identify known and
suspected poachers. Last spring, scouts in
information about elephant poachers for
information to Zambia Wildlife Authority
of ivory, from at least 21 adult
elephants killed in Botswana
and Zimbabwe.
is to stop poachers before
they strike. Despite being in
a national park, the elephants
of cameroon's Bouba n'Djida
national park were only partly
protected. A few rangers
with little training, poor
firepower cannot defend Africa's elephants
against a well-armed and persistent foe.
and local partners are now receiving
emergency support and expertise from
AWF to strengthen its parks and protect
its remaining wildlife. AWF is also looking
to provide the same emergency support
to other countries in east and southern
Africa whose elephants are under threat.
Desperate times call for quick, determined,
and united measures.