DAR ES SALAAM – In Tanzania, the government, with support from WWF (World Wildlife Fund), has launched the country’s largest ever elephant-collaring effort to protect its dwindling elephant population.
With almost 90 percent of the elephants lost over the last 40 years in the Selous Game Reserve, a World Heritage site, enhancing rangers’ ability to guard the remaining ones from poaching is essential to rebuilding the population. In a project spanning 12 months, 60 elephants are expected to be collared, in and surrounding the Selous. This will enable reserve management and government rangers to track elephant movements, identify and act against threats in real-time.
In the past 40 years, rampant poaching of elephants for ivory has seen the population in Selous decimated, with numbers plunging to around 15,200 from 110,000. In 2014, UNESCO placed Selous on its List of World Heritage in Danger due to the severity of elephant poaching.
WWF is working with the government to adopt a zero poaching approach using a tool kit to protect the country’s elephants and ecosystems in one of Africa’s last wilderness areas.
Ongoing since March 20, the elephant-collaring activity will continue until November 2018.
Source: www.panda.org