Culling in Kruger

6 September 2016 | MSN South Africa | Melissa Reitz |Free to publish credit CAT

© iafrica.com A motion to terminate the hunting and breeding of captive lions and other predators in South Africa has been approved by the IUCN World Conservation Congress currently under way in Hawaii. The motion requests the prohibition of the hunting of captive-bred lions under any conditions and also states that breeding should only be … Full Story ?

September 5, 2016 | The Telegraph | William Hague |

An elephant at the Tsavo east national park in Kenya. Elephant populations on African savannahs have decliend by 30 per cent, largely due to poaching Credit: Tony Karumba/AFP/Getty Amid all the talk of Brexit plans, our future immigration system, nuclear power and the many preoccupations of the new Cabinet, there is a vital commitment in … Full Story ?

05 September 2016 | Daily Maverick | Kerry Sheridan |

The world’s largest gorillas have been pushed to the brink of extinction by a surge of illegal hunting in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and are now critically endangered, officials said Sunday. With just 5,000 Eastern gorillas (Gorilla beringei) left on Earth, the majestic species now faces the risk of disappearing completely, officials said at … Full Story ?

02 September 2016 | Vulcan | Michael Chase |

The following is a listing of country-by-country findings from the Great Elephant Census (GEC). For each of the 18 countries flown to-date there is a listed GEC elephant count – the number of live elephants counted during the Census – and a carcass ratio, percentage of dead elephants observed during the count. Carcass ratios of … Full Story ?

03 September 2016 | All Africa | Guy Dinmore |

Honolulu, Hawaii — A dramatic decline in Africa’s savanna elephant populations caused by poaching – as exposed by the results of a three-year aerial survey released this week – has piled pressure on reluctant governments to back proposals that would lead to bans on domestic trade in ivory. The United States and Gabon, plus nine … Full Story ?

02 September 2016 | South African Institiue of international Affairs | Katarzyna Nowak |

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) will address the growing threat from illegal trade at its forthcoming Conference of the Parties (CoP17). CITES is a regulatory treaty that is neither self-executing nor legally binding unless its provisions are reproduced in member states’ laws. Approximately half … Full Story ?

31 August 2016 | News24 | Adam Cruise | Free to publish credit CAT

Cape Town – A pan-African survey of African savannah elephants has revealed declines of a staggering 30% – 144 000 elephants,  between 2007 and 2014 in the areas covered by the survey. The Paul G Allen’s Great Elephant Census (GEC) is the first continent-wide aerial survey of African elephants using standardized methodology. Principle investigator, Mike … Full Story ?

31 August 2016 | Africa Geographic | Don Pinnock |Free to publish credit CAT

At least 26 elephants, their faces hacked off and their tusks removed, lay in congealing blood on Botswana’s Chobe National Park floodplain. Poachers had killed them within sight of tourist camps late in July of 2016. The park is home to the greatest elephant herd in the world and the jewel in the crown of … Full Story ?

31 August 2016 | BBC News | Alastair Leithead |

Elephants are everywhere – under the shade of trees, drinking by the river or playing at the few remaining waterholes in the drought-parched landscape. Botswana has more elephants than any other country in Africa – 130,451 to be precise. At least that’s the estimate given by the Great Elephant Census. Sadly, hundreds of them have … Full Story ?