 |
| Elephants Crossing |
Botswana is a rare bright spot for elephant herds as showcased by Botswana's
Chobe National Park, home to tens of thousands of elephants, with estimates of
its elephant population as high as 200,000, according to Associated Press. In
all of Africa, there are about 420,000 to 650,000, according to some estimates.
The southern African country's political and economic stability, small
human population and other factors make it an elephant haven, though pressure
on habitats and conflict with the human population are increasing concerns. Botswana is a challenging model for other African nations struggling to
ward off the illegal wildlife trade, ranked by the United Nations alongside
arms, drug and human trafficking because its illicit profits run into billions
of dollars worldwide.
Elephants roam widely outside conservation areas in landlocked Botswana,
which has just 2 million people; in contrast, Kenya, under pressure from
poachers, has almost as much territory as Botswana with about 35,000 elephants
and 45 million people.
No comments:
Post a Comment