#gobush

[rjzimmerman]

Whenever I read about the possibility of the extinction of elephants, I think of the childrens’ books about Babar. What do you tell a kid years from now, if elephants are then extinct (or limited to zoos or inaccessible preserves) when the kid asks, “What’s an elephant?” We take them for granted, and we should not.

Excerpt from this story from the New York Times:

While some African elephants parade across the savanna and thrill tourists on safari, others are more discreet. They stay hidden in the forests, eating fruit.

“You feel pretty lucky when you catch sight of them,” said Kathleen Gobush, a Seattle-based conservation biologist and member of the African Elephant Specialist Group within the International Union for Conservation of Nature, or I.U.C.N.

The threat of extinction has diminished the odds of spotting one of these wood-dwelling elephants in recent decades, according to a new I.U.C.N. Red List assessment of African elephants released Thursday. The Red List categorizes species by their risk of forever vanishing from the world. The new assessment is the first in which the conservation union treats Africa’s forest and savanna elephants as two species instead of one.

Both are in bad shape. The last time the group assessed African elephants, in 2008, it listed them as vulnerable. Now it says savanna elephants are endangered, one category worse.

The shy forest elephants have lost nearly nine-tenths of their number in a generation and are now critically endangered �� just one step from extinction in the wild.

Led by Dr. Gobush, the assessment team gathered data from 495 sites across Africa. A statistical model let them use the elephant numbers from each site to see broader trends for both species.

“We essentially looked at data from as far back as possible,” Dr. Gobush said. The I.U.C.N. aims for three generations of data to get a full picture of an animal’s well-being. But for the long-lived elephants, that’s a challenge. The average savanna elephant mother gives birth at 25 years; forest elephant moms are 31 on average. Because the earliest surveys researchers could find were from the 1960s and 1970s, they could peer back only two generations for savanna elephants, and a single generation for forest elephants.

Even during those few decades, the changes were drastic. The population of savanna elephants has fallen at least 60 percent, the team found. Forest elephants have declined by more than 86 percent.

It will be especially hard for forest elephants to bounce back, Dr. Roca added, because of how long they wait to reproduce — six years longer than the savanna elephants. The I.U.C.N. assessment also found that 70 percent of forest elephants might live outside protected areas, leaving them especially vulnerable to ivory poachers.

Elephants being killed for their ivory tusks isn’t a new problem, and neither is the habitat loss they face.“It’s the same two main threats that have afflicted the animals forever,” Dr. Gobush said. Poaching comes in waves, she added; it was especially severe in the 1980s and reached another peak in 2011.

[epicflyrods]

• FISHING MACHINE • Time to bug out. Another day with @gordywatson24.7 draws to an end. . #gordywatson #epicpeople #epicflyrods #flyfishing #gobush

[btrading-blog]

Camping under a sky on fire. #camping #foxwing #4wd #nissan #patrol #fire #world #greatoutdoors #gobush #justgoshoot #sunset #bigdaddydeluxe #🇳🇿 #newzealand #purenz @purenewzealand @nickyforsyth @ig.newzealand #iphone7 #needmorehashtags 😜Stu Finch

[tracyabbott25-blog1]

Aaand Relax. 🌴🌴🌴 Friday tomorrow! Who's ready? 🌱 ✔️ ... ... ... #tbt #dandenongranges #ferntreegully #kokodatrail #melbournesights #adventure #hike #1000steps #hiking #outdoors #bush #gobush #walkingthroughthetrees #australia #gumtrees #victoria #australia #wheresthebugs #heretheyare #inthebush #traveladventure #explore #fun #outdoorfitness #getfit #gooutside #freshair #cleanair (at Kokoda Memorial Trail in Ferntree Valley 1000 Steps.)

[melleighroberts]

CLIMBING TREES 🌲 Well .. Huts made out of #treetrunks anyway ☺️ #childlike #fun #letsclimb #upHIGH !! Have the #bruises to prove it 😉 Beautiful #judbury #judburymarket #huonvalley on the #RussellRiver #treeclimbing #views #treechange #tasmania #goBush #countrydrives #mothersday 2017 (at Judbury, Tasmania, Australia)

[occupy4elephants]

Some Elephants in Africa Are Just a Step From Extinction

Some Elephants in Africa Are Just a Step From Extinction

Wild forest elephants in the Dzanga Sangha Reserve in the Central African Republic in 2019.Credit…Florent Vergnes/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images While some African elephants parade across the savanna and thrill tourists on safari, others are more discreet. They stay hidden in the forests, eating fruit. “You feel pretty lucky when you catch sight of them,” said Kathleen Gobush, a…

[leanpick]

Some Elephants in Africa Are Just a Step From Extinction

Some Elephants in Africa Are Just a Step From Extinction

While some African elephants parade across the savanna and thrill tourists on safari, others are more discreet. They stay hidden in the forests, eating fruit. “You feel pretty lucky when you catch sight of them,” said Kathleen Gobush, a Seattle-based conservation biologist and member of the African Elephant Specialist Group within the International Union for Conservation of Nature, or…

[orbemnews]

Some Elephants in Africa Are Just a Step From Extinction While some African elephants parade across the savanna and thrill tourists on safari, others are more discreet. They stay hidden in the forests, eating fruit. “You feel pretty lucky when you catch sight of them,” said Kathleen Gobush, a Seattle-based conservation biologist and member of the African Elephant Specialist Group within the International Union for Conservation of Nature, or I.U.C.N. The threat of extinction has diminished the odds of spotting one of these wood-dwelling elephants in recent decades, according to a new I.U.C.N. Red List assessment of African elephants released Thursday. The Red List categorizes species by their risk of forever vanishing from the world. The new assessment is the first in which the conservation union treats Africa’s forest and savanna elephants as two species instead of one. Both are in bad shape. The last time the group assessed African elephants, in 2008, it listed them as vulnerable. Now it says savanna elephants are endangered, one category worse. The shy forest elephants have lost nearly nine-tenths of their number in a generation and are now critically endangered — just one step from extinction in the wild. Led by Dr. Gobush, the assessment team gathered data from 495 sites across Africa. A statistical model let them use the elephant numbers from each site to see broader trends for both species. “We essentially looked at data from as far back as possible,” Dr. Gobush said. The I.U.C.N. aims for three generations of data to get a full picture of an animal’s well-being. But for the long-lived elephants, that’s a challenge. The average savanna elephant mother gives birth at 25 years; forest elephant moms are 31 on average. Because the earliest surveys researchers could find were from the 1960s and 1970s, they could peer back only two generations for savanna elephants, and a single generation for forest elephants. Even during those few decades, the changes were drastic. The population of savanna elephants has fallen at least 60 percent, the team found. Forest elephants have declined by more than 86 percent. “That is alarming,” said Ben Okita, a Nairobi-based conservation biologist with Save the Elephants. Dr. Okita is co-chair of the conservation union’s African Elephant Specialist Group but did not work on the new assessment. Dr. Okita said that considering the two elephant species separately was helping to reveal just how bad things are, especially for the forest elephant. “The forest elephants, in most cases, have been largely ignored,” he said. Grouping the two elephants together probably masked just how bad things were for the forest elephant, he said. The I.U.C.N. made the change because in recent years, “It’s become clear that genetically these two species are different,” Dr. Okita said. The final piece of evidence for the conservation union was a 2019 study it commissioned that showed the two elephants only rarely reproduce with each other. Alfred Roca, a geneticist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said the I.U.C.N.’s recognition of two African elephant species was a little tardy. More than two decades ago, a study of 295 skulls in museums found “enormous differences” between the two types of elephants, he said. In life, forest elephants have smaller bodies, rounder ears and straighter tusks than savanna elephants. Genetically, “The separation between them is probably greater than the separation between lions and tigers,” Dr. Roca said. Still, he said: “It’s never too late. I’m delighted that they’ve done this, because it really highlights the terrible situation that the forest elephant is in.” It will be especially hard for forest elephants to bounce back, Dr. Roca added, because of how long they wait to reproduce — six years longer than the savanna elephants. The I.U.C.N. assessment also found that 70 percent of forest elephants might live outside protected areas, leaving them especially vulnerable to ivory poachers. Elephants being killed for their ivory tusks isn’t a new problem, and neither is the habitat loss they face. “It’s the same two main threats that have afflicted the animals forever,” Dr. Gobush said. Poaching comes in waves, she added; it was especially severe in the 1980s and reached another peak in 2011. Where elephants disappear, they leave a big gap — not just physically, but also in the work they do. Some tree species depend entirely on forest elephants to eat their fruits, swallow their large seeds and deposit them elsewhere in a pile of dung. As they knock down trees and chew up huge amounts of plant material, both forest and savanna elephants change their environments in ways that create new habitat for other species. “Both of them really could be considered gardeners tending to the vegetation, more than probably any other animal,” Dr. Gobush said. “We just can’t afford to lose them, really.” But there is some good news. Savanna elephants are “thriving,” Dr. Okita said, in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, which overlaps five countries in southern Africa. In some parts of Gabon and the Republic of Congo, forest elephant populations have stabilized or even grown. Where people are protecting elephants against poachers and planning land use carefully, Dr. Okita said, there has been progress. He wonders, though, whether reversing the African elephants’ decline will require not just policy, but also reaching people on a personal level and making them feel the urgency. “At the moment we are getting to the minds of the people,” Dr. Okita said. “But we need to get to the hearts.” Source link Orbem News #Africa #elephants #extinction #Step

[end-poaching-lindborg]

Literary Review

Question: How has the demand for ivory and rhino horn affected the elephant and rhino populations along with the communities that stand by it? What is the government and private sector doing in order to maintain their populations and stand up against poachers? 

The demand for ivory and rhino horn is not only detrimental for the elephant and rhino population, it is also harmful to the tribes and populations that stand by it. Based on this question, several sources and people from all across the world are able to share facts and bring light to this situation. It has been known for decades that the cruel reality of poaching is harmful to both rhinos and elephants, only until very recently it has been emphasized as a true issue to these populations. The government and private sector have been working in order to maintain these populations by enforcing policies, bringing in extra help to ensure poaching doesn’t remain active in their parks and lands. By many people coming together, collecting data and analyzing results, you are able to see into the future of these animals if poaching does not stop. 

“Between 1979 and 2015, the Elephant population in Africa went from 1.3 million to 400,000, which is over a 50% population decline” (Greaver, Knight, Grant, Smit, Izak, Pienaar, 2015). This is a direct result of poaching, criminal organizations began to exploit this abundant population for profit gain and the illegal trade of ivory. In Zimbabwe and Mozambique, the native elephant population has shrunk 70% since 2001 (Greaver, Knight, Grant, Smit, Izak, Pienaar, 2015).  This rapid population decline could make elephants extinct within decades if something isn’t done to stop this poaching. It has been researched that in the year 2012, “46.5 tonnes of ivory were seized. 30 tonnes is equivalent to 93,000 US pounds” (Cressey, 2013), which is a disheartening fact when you realize how many elephants were slaughtered in order to gain that ivory. 

Nations all over the world are contributing in order to curb the ongoing ivory trade, in the United States, it has been “illegal to import ivory since 1989 which has resulted in 6 tons of ivory being destroyed at the border since the past 30 years” (Hauenstein, Kshatriya, Blanc, Dormann & Beale, 2019). African countries are banding together in order to stop the ivory trade by protecting their elephants at all costs. Not only is it just African nations, but China has been prosecuting more people for ivory offenses than they have in the past. The Economist (2018)  points out that “70% of the illegal ivory trade in Africa is being sent to China”. In order for the illegal ivory trade to come to a stop, China has to be fully on board with making it illegal and prosecuting for ivory offenses to the fullest. China has taken baby steps in order to make a change, but they need to be fully involved and hands-on in this process considering 70% of the illegal ivory is sent there. During the trading process, many people are paid off to turn a blind eye to allow ivory to go overseas. “Traffickers in Africa are usually paid up to $70 to turn a blind eye, while once they hit Asian waters (usually China) the bribes rise up to $450,000” (Economist, 2018). The corruption involved during the ivory trading process plays a huge role, the traders (mostly from China), target African people in need of money so they can continue their shipment of ivory back to their country. While the government and the private sector are taking extreme precautions in order to maintain safety for elephants, there still is internal corruption that needs to be dealt with in order to truly combat the poaching issue of elephants. 

The rapidly declining rhino population has sparked a need to ensure these rhino’s safety for the years going on. Private companies and the government have joined forces in order to protect this declining population of rhinos at all costs. They have started with relocating rhinos, having armed rangers protect them in their habitats and other extreme measures to keep them safe. The extensive research that has been done to determine the population of rhinos over the past 10 years has a brutal reality being that “8,500 Rhinos have been killed in South Africa. There are only about 25,000 Rhinos left in South Africa and over 1,000 are killed each year for their horns” (Christy & Stirton, 2017). South Africa accounts for “80% of the rhino population on the earth”  (Bale, Nat Geo, 2018). Extreme lengths have been taken to steer poachers away from these animals, conservationists have been able to successfully remove rhino horns in order to keep their population strong while keeping poachers away.  Rhinos have been effectively taken from their homes and being transported to other areas that could ensure better safety. According to Goemeone Mogomotsi, “private rhino conservators in South Africa have relocated their populations to Botswana. Botswana has implemented a ‘shoot to kill policy’ which has been majorly controversial but has helped emphasize the evil nature behind poaching” (Mogomotsi, Madigele, 2017). By having a ‘shoot to kill’ policy, it ensures that if a poacher gets caught, they will face the same treatment that the animal is facing as well-death. This anti-poaching has been compared to the war on terror, to stop poaching by any means necessary. Botswana is sending a direct message to the poachers, the consequences of attempting to kill a rhino will ultimately lead you to your death. By implementing this strict policy, it emphasizes the message, ‘kill or be killed’. Botswana is taking extreme measures to maintain their rhino population, and they are willing to take lives over it. 

African countries have been putting in more effort in order to end poaching, for example, Kruger Park in South Africa has taken precautions in order to maintain these rhino’s safety. It is estimated that Kruger is home to “9,000 rhinos where poachers take 2-3 rhino lives each day” (Wasser & Gobush, 2019). By the nonstop poaching of these rhinos, Kruger Park has made an extreme effort in order to keep them alive. In Kruger National Park, “18-25 rangers are assigned per section for patrolling of rhinos, they make sure that they are safe and no poachers are around. While the assigned rangers are patrolling their area, 2 helicopters and 2 micro-light aircraft compliment the rangers patrol by flying over various parts of Kruger National Park to detect carcasses of rhinos and to push forward their anti-poaching raids” (Gustafson, Sandstrom & Townsend, 2015). The detecting of the carcasses helps the rangers figure out what the cause of death was for these animals, natural or murdered? By studying the carcasses of these rhinos it gives the rangers a clear insight on if there are poachers in their area or if it was simply a natural death. This allows rangers to inspect on the population decline of the rhinos as well. They are able to express the number of known carcasses within a time frame and determine whether or not they need to relocate these animals in order to save them. 

The poaching does not only affect the population of these animals, but it also affects the local tribes and society around wildlife. Most African tribes and communities have elephants as the center of their community, they grow up around them. Bosso Andre, a member of the Baka tribe in Cameroon describes “that learning about the forest is a tradition that gets passed down from their parents through their kids” (Andre, 2017). By not having these elephants around their village it takes away the knowledge that has been passed down. The Baka tribe is also a very easy target for poaching too, “people come in and offer them a small amount of money or food in order to kill elephants for ivory” (Wilson, 2017). While having a dilemma about survival vs preservation it often is hard to choose aside. Not only is it tribes being targeted for needed money, the conservation project of saving these animals has also taken a great toll on African tribes as well. The African tribes are paying the price in the conservation effort as well.

Not only Cameroon tribes are feeling the effects of poaching, in Botswana, the San people have been “forcefully moved off of their land that they have obtained for centuries in order to conserve elephants and rhinos” (Vidal, 2016). The San’s ancient land was located on the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana, where they used that as their hunting grounds. Where the San’s resided, there were no endangered species like elephants and rhinos that were on there hunting grounds. The San’s were “systematically stripped of their land, culture, and identity” (Vidal, 2016). In order to fully protect these species, it has come with the cost of land that the San tribe has spent centuries on. The poaching effect has taken a major toll on African tribes, by bribing poorer tribes to kill animals in order for a little money has been harmful to not only the tribes and the population of these animals. Also, by stripping away culture in order to preserve the population of these animals has been detrimental to these people as well. It is a hard task that needs to be faced in order to stop poaching, but the native African tribes really have had to deal with the consequences of the actions of others. 

In conclusion, the demand for ivory and rhino horn is only going to continue to grow while the population of these animals decline. Conservation of these animals is crucial if we want to see them live throughout our lives. While conservation of elephants and rhinos may have stripped tribes from their homes, it is to ensure that these animals have a future. Poaching is gaining more and more attention and bringing light to this major problem. While the government and private sectors are working extremely hard in order to maintain the populations, corruption still lingers. By doing this secondary research for my ePortfolio, it gave me the necessary background knowledge that I needed in order to expand my knowledge on this harsh subject and bring more awareness to it.

Sources:

Wasser, S., & Gobush, K. (2019). Current Biology : CB, 29(15), 2593.

Mogomotsi, G., & Madigele, P. (2017). Live by the gun, die by the gun: Botswana’s ‘shoot-to-kill’ policy as an anti-poaching strategy. SA Crime Quarterly, (60), 51-59.

Hauenstein, S., Kshatriya, M., Blanc, J., Dormann, C., & Beale, C. (2019). African elephant poaching rates correlate with local poverty, national corruption, and global ivory price. Nature Communications, 10(1), 2242.

Wilson, M.,(2017) “Elephant Poaching Forces This Community To Take Sides”. Tiger House Productions

Ferrerira, S., (2018) “Illegal ivory: Where does it come from, where does it go?. The Economist

Vidal, J. (2016, August 28). The tribes paying the brutal price of conservation. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/aug/28/exiles-human-cost-of-conservation-indigenous-peoples-eco-tourism.

Bale, R. (2018, January 25). More Than 1,000 Rhinos Poached in South Africa Last Year. Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2018/01/wildlife-watch-rhino-poaching-crisis-continues-south-africa/.

Christy, B., & Stirton, B. (2017, June 28). Special Investigation: Inside the Deadly Rhino Horn Trade. Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/10/dark-world-of-the-rhino-horn-trade/.

Greaver, C., Knight, G., Knight, M., Smit, I., & Pienaar, D. (2015). Disruption of Rhino Demography by Poachers May Lead to Population Declines in Kruger National Park, South Africa. PLoS One, 10(6), E0127783.

Cressey, D. (2013). Nations fight back on ivory. Nature, 503(7477), 452.

Gustafson, K., Sandstrom, T., & Townsend, L. (2018). The Bush War to Save the Rhino: Improving Counter-poaching Through Intelligence. Small Wars & Insurgencies, 29(2), 269-290.

[brittadenver]

Lit Draft 1

Question: How has the demand for Ivory affected the elephant and rhino populations along with the communities that stand by it?

The demand for Ivory is not only detrimental for the elephant and rhino population, it is also harmful to the tribes and populations that stand by it. Based on this question, several sources and people from all across the world are able to share facts and bring light to this situation. In this essay, I will talk about the population decline of these animals due to poaching, how people are responding to it and what measures have been taken in order to conserve these animals.

According to BBC News, over the past 10 years, 8,500 Rhinos have been killed in South Africa. There are only about 25,000 Rhinos left in South Africa and over 1,000 are killed each year for their horns. Extreme lengths have been taken to steer poachers away from these animals, conservationists have been able to successfully remove rhino horns in order to keep their population strong while keeping poachers away. 

In one article I read, between 1979 and 2015, the Elephant population in Africa went 1.3 million to 400,000, which is over a 50% population decline. This is a direct result of poaching, criminal organizations began to exploit this abundant population for profit gain and the illegal trade of ivory. In Zimbabwe and Mozambique, the native elephant population has shrunk 70% since 2001.  This rapid population decline could make elephants extinct within decades if something isn’t done to stop this poaching.

Rhinos have been effectively taken from their homes and being transported to other areas that could ensure better safety. According to Goemeone Mogomotsi, private rhino conservators in South Africa have relocated their populations to Botswana. Botswana implemented a ‘shoot to kill policy’ which has been majorly controversial but has helped emphasize the evil nature behind poaching. By having a ‘shoot to kill’ policy, it ensures that if a poacher gets caught, they will face the same treatment that the animal is facing as well-death. This anti-poaching has been compared to the war on terror, to stop poaching by any means necessary. 

Governments and people are taking measures to stop this poaching, but it is hard to completely tackle it when it is faced with corruption as well. The Economist states that 70% of the illegal ivory trade is sent to China, during the trading process many people are paid off to turn a blind eye to allow the ivory to go overseas. Traffickers in Africa are usually paid $70 to turn a blind eye, while once they hit Asia the bribes rise up to $450,000. This corruption plays a huge role in the illegal trade. The traders target people in need of money so they can continue their shipment and profit gain.

Most African tribes and communities have elephants as the center of their community, they grow up around them. Bosso Andre, a member of the Baka tribe in Cameroon describes that learning about the forest is a tradition that gets passed down from their parents through their kids. By not having these elephants around their village it takes away the knowledge that has been passed down. The Baka tribe is also a very easy target for poaching too, people come in and offer them a small amount of money or food in order to kill elephants for ivory. While having a dilemma about survival vs preservation it often is hard to choose aside. 

In conclusion, the demand for ivory and rhino horn is only going to continue to grow while the population of these animals decline. Conservation of these animals is crucial if we want to see them live throughout our lives. 

Sources:

Wasser, S., & Gobush, K. (2019). Current Biology : CB, 29(15), 2593.

Mogomotsi, G., & Madigele, P. (2017). Live by the gun, die by the gun: Botswana’s ‘shoot-to-kill’ policy as an anti-poaching strategy. SA Crime Quarterly, (60), 51-59.

Hauenstein, S., Kshatriya, M., Blanc, J., Dormann, C., & Beale, C. (2019). African elephant poaching rates correlate with local poverty, national corruption and global ivory price. Nature Communications, 10(1), 2242.

Mariah Wilson (2017) “Elephant Poaching Forces This Community To Take Sides”. Tiger House Productions

The Economist (2018) “Illegal ivory: Where does it come from, where does it go?

[mckeenphotos]

Another offering for my "I went for a run today and found this" story... #tunnel #trailrunning #gobush #tramline #fitness #running #outdoors #auckland365 #lowceiling #imfinethanksforasking

[sarahdegraaff]

#howdoyouyoga ? #spontaneous #yogaforyourhead #creativeimpulse #themindandmovementcentre #gobush #nature #yoga

[kindred-spirit]

WE CAME. WE CONQUERED. WE DOOFED. Thank you Maitreya 2015 for a better weekend than I could have ever dreamed of!!! #takemoreshoes #drinkmorewater #domoredrugs #gobush #maitreya #4daysofdoof

[nellemay]

A surprise picnic by the river! No better way to end the day than laying on the grass in the setting sun, rapids gushing over rocks, gazing up into the sky #date #river #picnic #trees #simplethings #lifeappreciation #foliage #gobush