WORST DROUGHT IN 26 YEARS THREATENS SURVIVAL OF LAST DESERT ELEPHANTS IN WEST AFRICA
WORST DROUGHT IN 26 YEARS THREATENS SURVIVAL OF LAST DESERT ELEPHANTS IN
WEST AFRICA
Save the Elephants Press Release
May 18, 2009
The future of a rare herd of desert elephants in Mali is under threat from
one of the worst droughts in living memory, which has left a key water
source at its lowest level in a quarter of a century and is breaking down
the usual peaceful co-existence between the elephants and local herdsmen.
The 350 to 450 elephants of Gourma, the northernmost herds still alive in
Africa, are being forced to trek ever-longer distances within the Sahel on
the fringes of the Sahara to find scarce water, conservation organisation
Save The Elephants warns today.
Juveniles are likely to be among the worst affected, as - unlike the
bigger bulls - their trunks are not long enough to reach deep into
remaining wells. Six elephants have already been found dead. Four others,
including three calves, were recently extracted from a shallow well into
which they had fallen when searching for water. Only the largest
survived.
Save the Elephants’ scientist Jake Wall is in Mali following the situation
closely. He says
“Banzena has almost completely dried leaving no more than 30 cm of muddy,
sediment filled water. The elephants are now in a deadly situation as they
wait for the rains to begin. Six elephants have died in the last couple of
months from causes related to the drought conditions.”
A group of NGO’s comprising Save the Elephants (STE) and The WILD
Foundation (WILD) have been monitoring the last rare desert elephants in
Mali in collaboration with the Malian Environment Ministry directorate for
conservation - Direction Nationale de la Conservation de la Nature (DNCN).
This unique herd of elephants is now in a desperate situation due to a
drastic shortage of water, and we are launching an emergency appeal to
save them.
The desert elephants of Mali live in the Gourma district to the South East
of Timbuktu. They are the northernmost elephants surviving in Africa,
estimated at between 350 and 450 in number. They have adapted to survive
in the harsh conditions of the Sahel by migrating long distances in search
of water and food but live on the margin of what is ecologically viable.
Dr Iain Douglas-Hamilton of Save the Elephants has been monitoring their
range since the mid 1970s. He says
“In the Gourma region of Mali are the last elephants living in the Sahel
and they are northernmost in Africa. Their range has shrunk drastically
since the 1970’s due to climate change and overstocking of livestock which
has degraded the habitat. These elephants have the longest migration
route of any in Africa and move in a counterclockwise circle of about 700
km. At the height of the dry season there are only a handful of shallow
lakes left to them until recharged by rains in July and August.”
This year the water levels are extremely low in the Gourma region due to
uneven rainfall in 2008. The most important of these lakes, Banzena, is
the lowest it has been since 1983 when it dried completely.
Over the last few years a team of Save the Elephants and the WILD
Foundation in collaboration with the DNCN have been closely following the
movements of the elephants using 9 collars fitted with Global Positioning
System (GPS) receivers. The collars transmit the hourly positions of the
elephants three times daily via satellite link and give real-time
information about the activities of the elephant herds.
On the16th May, Jake Wall a scientist with Save the Elephants returned
from the most important water source, Lake Banzena, on which the elephants
rely at the height of the dry season. He found it almost dry.
“The situation is equally dire for the Touareg and Pheul herdsmen who rely
on Banzena for their cattle and many cows are now dying each day from lack
of water and the soaring temperatures which reach 50 degrees Celsius in
the shade. The stench of rotting corpses fills the air and what little
water remains is putrid and undrinkable by all standards. The normal
peaceful coexistence between the elephants and herdsmen is starting to
break-down and giving way to conflict over access to water.”
Very few options now exist for finding water and we are witnessing erratic
movements further and further afield as they desperately search for water
and forage.
“Small thundershowers last week left tantalizing puddles 20 km to the
south of Banzena, enough to survive on for a couple days at most, but the
herds are now being forced back north to the almost dry lake.”
At a dry lake bed 50 km to the east of Banzena, 6 bull elephants are
surviving by getting on their knees and reaching for water with their
trunks that is 3 meters beneath ground level and through a hole dug by the
Touareg. Younger elephants who are not as big or as skilled cannot
possibly reach these to hard to get at water points. The long distances,
high temperatures and weakened condition will also take a heavy toll on
the younger elephants.
Jake Wall says
“I have witnessed first hand how tough the situation can be for young
elephants. Last year during a radio-collaring operation, I came across 3
elephant calves trapped in a mud hole along with a half grown female. From
the age structure it looked like they had lost their matriarch.
Evidently, this young female had led the youngsters into a waterless area.
They happened upon a shallow well dug by herdsmen for watering cattle and
it appears that the elephants, desperate for water, tumbled into the well
and all four were hopelessly stuck in the mud for three days. Our Save the
Elephants team pulled them out one by one, but they were so weak that only
the large female survived. She was radio-tagged and we watched her dash
80 km to the nearest water at Lake Banzena.”
Urgent action is now needed to secure water for the elephants until the
rains commence as predicted in early June. Fortunately, two pumps already
exist at Banzena for pumping water and can be used for helping the
elephants. Save the Elephants, in partnership with the WILD Foundation and
the Mali government, is appealing for funds for diesel necessary for their
operation. It is not certain whether the water quantity will be sufficient
and close monitoring of the situation is needed.
If you want to help us save these elephants please send a donation via our
website: www.savetheelephants.org
PRESS RELEASE BY SAVE THE ELEPHANTS
www.savetheelephants.org <http://www.savetheelephants.org>
Contact
Dr Iain Douglas-Hamilton
Save the Elephants and Department of Zoology, University of Oxford tel +44
798 140 3918
Jake Wall
Save the Elephants
tel +223 7454 6124
tel +223 6603 5042
Vance Martin
WILD
tel 303-442-8811