Poaching has led to small elephant population in Malawi – study

Author(s)

Victoria Milanzi, Malawi24

Date Published

Poaching has been blamed for the small population of elephants in Malawi and other African countries.

According to a country-by-country analysis done by Safari Bookings – the largest online marketplace for African Safari tours – in the period between 1995 and 2007 the elephant population in Malawi declined from 1,651 elephants in 1995 to 508 elephants in 2007.

However, from 2007 to 2015 the population in Malawi jumped from 508 to 1,307 which has been described as small. But the same period saw a 30 percent decrease of overall African savannah elephants.

The analysis has established that the major cause of the small number of elephants in Malawi and the decline in other African countries is poaching.

“There are various factors involved in the decline of African elephants, such as loss of habitat and conflict with humans, however the overwhelming reason for the fall in population levels is poaching as confirmed by researchers of the Great Elephants Populations,” said the study.

Safari Bookings noted in the study that that there has been an upsurge in poaching and illegal ivory trafficking in recent years driven by increasing demand in Asia.

“The poaching is driven by market demand for ivory in Asia, especially Vietnam and China. Although in a recent positive development, China announced that it was banning the commercial trade of ivory, it could also push the trade onto the black market,” the study observed.

The analysis further highlighted factors such as willingness of the government to prioritise wildlife conservation, fight off the poachers and actively assist in creating viable habitats as having a big influence on poaching levels.

In the study, Safari Bookings analysed elephant populations for 10 countries in East and Southern Africa.