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| credit: SOS Elephants |
Armed gangs of poachers continue to exterminate elephants in central Africa for their ivory. In Chad poachers killed 34 elephants during the week of July 23 and in a second attack on August 3, 4 or 5 were killed and two injured including a mother with three calves. Five to ten calves may be alone in the bush. Exact numbers are not available as the terrain is difficult and poachers are still in the area. A rescue team from
SOS Elephants plans to perform emergency aid for the injured mother and determine if she has enough milk to feed her calves. The team has rescued one orphan, sleeping with it in the bush and then leading it back to their camp. Elephant calves are emotionally and physically dependent on their mothers until age five or six when they are fully weaned. Another orphan named "Toto" was rescued after the July 24th massacre. After a few days a neighboring elephant family adopted Toto and a foster mother is feeding the young male milk
[photo]. SOS Elephants says about 200 elephants live in an unprotected area around Chari Baguirimi and Mayo Lemie. However Chad is so poor it is doubtful even formally protected habitat would be sufficient to protect elephants from slaughter. Elephants are searching for a safe place to hide, seen crossing the Chari River several times. Normally in this rainy season they avoid rain and mud living in small forests around the river, and do not come out until October. The government is searching for the poachers who remain at large. They apparently have the aid among the local population and are heavily armed. Incentives for information are offered to those who cooperate to protect the remaining elephants from what amounts to genocide. In the 1980s Chad's elephant population was around 20,000. Today there are less than 3,000. If the rate of poaching continues, Chad will loose its elephants in three years.
