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100 Slaughtered Elephants Found in Africa


__Kratos__

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Researchers said today they found 100 slaughtered elephants near Africa's Zakouma National Park.

Until 35 years ago, Zakouma, located in the southeastern portion of the landlocked Republic of Chad, was one of the most undamaged wilderness areas in Africa. The region, then home to about 300,000 elephants, now only has about 10,000.

Most recently, during an aerial survey made from Aug. 3 to Aug. 11, Mike Fay, a Wildlife Conservation Society conservationist and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence found five elephant massacre sites. [image]

"Zakouma elephants are getting massacred right before our eyes," Fay said. "We hadn't been in the air more than two hours when we saw our first carcass. It was fresh, maybe just a few weeks old, not far from the park headquarters, and the animal's face had been chopped off, the tusks removed."

The poaching of the elephants, Fay discovered, started in May. About 50 of them were killed only days before their carcasses were spotted.

At one site, the team saw a poacher's camp from their small plane with five men and six horses. The men abandoned camp as soon as they spotted the plane.

"The second time we passed over I saw a guy and a horse and an assault rifle in the poacher's hands," Fay said. "The third time we flew over, this time only about 150 feet above the camp, I could see the man shooting at us."

No one got hurt.

Although elephants are protected in the park, and hunting them is illegal in Chad, the many that leave the park during wet season are left open to attack.

Conservationists are now worried that this latest find could mean that poaching is on the rise in the area.

The Chadian government and EU officials, which have provided funding to Zakouma, plan to increase protection for the region by increasing aerial surveys and providing patrols in the area during the wet season.

Source

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Jeez, that sucks. <_<

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God, and all they could find was one camp? They even abandoned the camp. They should follow the examples set by other African nations and India to send in soldiers to protect the reserve and kill any poachers.

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That is just so sad. Something should be done.

kill any poachers.

Like that.

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That's so terrible!

God, and all they could find was one camp? They even abandoned the camp. They should follow the examples set by other African nations and India to send in soldiers to protect the reserve and kill any poachers.

I agree. Have them chop the poachers' faces off and see how they like it.

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That's a terrible thing to happen, but I suppose it's not an isolated issue. Sure, kill the poachers :) , but we need a longer term solution...

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but I suppose it's not an isolated issue

Sadly, this is quite common in many African game reserves...Maybe not to this extent, but it is common :(

Sure, kill the poachers , but we need a longer term solution...

Army patrols, rangers, AND killing the poachers.

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The only way that poaching will ever be stopped will be to destroy the market for ivory. But with so much ivory already in circulation this will be next to impossible. People will always be greedy enough to risk their lives for a big enough financial reward.

Poachers are easy to blame for the decline in elephants, and whilst they are a huge problem they are not the major cause. The destruction of the elephants habitat is the main cause. Elephants will not survive if they become more and more restricted to ever decreasing parkland. They need to wander.

I have been lucky enough to visit Africa twice and see these magnificant creatures in the wild, I just hope that in 100 years others will be able to say the same.

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The destruction of the elephants habitat is the main cause. Elephants will not survive if they become more and more restricted to ever decreasing parkland. They need to wander.

Not in a reserve or game refuge...

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The only way that poaching will ever be stopped will be to destroy the market for ivory. But with so much ivory already in circulation this will be next to impossible. People will always be greedy enough to risk their lives for a big enough financial reward.

Which is a pity, when there are so many other non-ivory alternatives. I mean, the only people that will buy them is the very rich - who can afford the death of a few men.

Poachers are easy to blame for the decline in elephants, and whilst they are a huge problem they are not the major cause. The destruction of the elephants habitat is the main cause. Elephants will not survive if they become more and more restricted to ever decreasing parkland. They need to wander.

I agree with that. Whilst poachers are the obvious killers of these magnificent animals, habitat destroys thousands more - but in a slower, less obvious way. We are all responsible for what goes on.

I have been lucky enough to visit Africa twice and see these magnificant creatures in the wild, I just hope that in 100 years others will be able to say the same.

I think by then the only place to see them will be in zoos, or museuems. And it's a terrible situation we all have to live up to.

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habitat destroys thousands more - but in a slower, less obvious way

and a less horrific way, they had thier faces chopped off for godssake! we as a race are shameful. this is nearly as bad as the post where dogs are used for shark bait.

we ain't right dude!!! :angry2:

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and can't scientists somehow breed elephants so they don't grow tusks? or give them drugs at young ages to prevent tusks growing? thus elimanating the source of ivory, i mean, do we really need ivory?

:tu:

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and a less horrific way, they had thier faces chopped off for godssake! we as a race are shameful. this is nearly as bad as the post where dogs are used for shark bait.

we ain't right dude!!! :angry2:

Why are so many people so eager to point out how terrible humans are?

As a race, we're amazing. Just because some groups of people leave a trail of destruction, that doesn't mean all humans are evil.

and can't scientists somehow breed elephants so they don't grow tusks? or give them drugs at young ages to prevent tusks growing? thus elimanating the source of ivory, i mean, do we really need ivory?

:tu:

Many elephants are already being born without tusks as an evolutionary defense. While that means those elephants will not be poached, the elephants will be crippled without them.

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and a less horrific way, they had thier faces chopped off for godssake! we as a race are shameful. this is nearly as bad as the post where dogs are used for shark bait.

Well, I use fish for shark bait...Isn't that just as bad?

and can't scientists somehow breed elephants so they don't grow tusks? or give them drugs at young ages to prevent tusks growing? thus elimanating the source of ivory, i mean, do we really need ivory?

Why would you want to do that? It's unethical.

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Why would you want to do that? It's unethical.

I agree, it's not fair to remove its defence mechanism - I mean, it's like breeding skinless cows to stop leather producers (what an analogy). We need to cut this at grass roots, being removing any need for ivory - by making an acceptable substitute.

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yeah but is it fair to slaughter them for thier tusks?

its like would you rather be born dead? or born without hands?

i take back what i say about the human race being disgraceful but its just wierd using dogs as shark bait i mean whats the point?

:tu:

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yeah but is it fair to slaughter them for thier tusks?

its like would you rather be born dead? or born without hands?

i take back what i say about the human race being disgraceful but its just wierd using dogs as shark bait i mean whats the point?

:tu:

But it's not a huge proportion of elephants that get killed for their tusks. Plus, it's like being sent into a war without a gun! They'd get beaten up, no-one would want to mate with them (talking about the elephants here) and they'd just die out.

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ye...good point...

but elephants are something like 3rd in the top ten most endangered species so a small amount might actually end up being a large percentage

:tu:

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ye...good point...

but elephants are something like 3rd in the top ten most endangered species so a small amount might actually end up being a large percentage

:tu:

Oh yeah, but the amount killed by those below them in the food chain, who were scared of the tusks, would be larger. It's a fine balance, but I think ultimately if they don't grow tusks, they'll end up worse off.

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i think people should train the elephants to attack poachers on sight...although it will probably never happen, it would be pretty cool

i agree with you there because if you were wrong then they would probably be breeding elephants without tusks right now, but still, either way they look doomed

:tu:

Edited by glenndo4000
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i think people should train the elephants to attack poachers on sight...although it will probably never happen, it would be pretty cool

i agree with you there because if you were wrong then they would probably be breeding elephants without tusks right now, but still, either way they look doomed

:tu:

Oh yeah, we've already gone way too far. Thanks for understanding my point of view :) And yes, attacking them might be good, but then they'd alert others to come help them, others that could have run away...

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i think people should train the elephants to attack poachers on sight...although it will probably never happen, it would be pretty cool

i agree with you there because if you were wrong then they would probably be breeding elephants without tusks right now, but still, either way they look doomed

:tu:

Many elephants have already begun to retaliate, lots of villages have been attacked in 'organized' raids.

But anyway, if a group of poachers armed with guns turn up in a truck, there's nothing the elephants can do.

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Many elephants have already begun to retaliate, lots of villages have been attacked in 'organized' raids.

But anyway, if a group of poachers armed with guns turn up in a truck, there's nothing the elephants can do.

Unless we gave THEM guns, of course. Maybe some kind of shoulder-supported rocket propelled grenade. Or a minigun on their back. That's make poachers think twice. ^_^

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Well, I use fish for shark bait...Isn't that just as bad?

You have a point, but if someone is to use puppy as bait I think it

should be less cruelful. Having the dogs already dead would make

more sense.

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but elephants are something like 3rd in the top ten most endangered species so a small amount might actually end up being a large percentage

No way...There are many, many, many, many, many more species more endangered than the African and Asian elephant..

i think people should train the elephants to attack poachers on sight..

Training a wild elephant is impossible...:P

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No way...There are many, many, many, many, many more species more endangered than the African and Asian elephant..

yeah your right i looked it up

sorry

Training a wild elephant is impossible

are you sure its impossible? a link or something would be good...

:tu:

Edited by glenndo4000
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