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Mozambique lost 26 elephants in 2019, one less than the year before, the National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC) told Lusa on Monday.
“The reduction is almost insignificant,” said Carlos Pereira, director of ANAC’s surveillance and protection service, but it shows a drastic reduction compared to five years ago, thanks, among other measures, to surveillance against poaching.
The African elephant is classified as a vulnerable animal on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) species list, the third of seven risk levels, the seventh being extinction.
Of the 26 elephants that died in 2019, most (seven) were lost in the 42,000-square-km Niassa Reserve in the north of the country.
Of the seven, five were young elephants that fell into traps intended for other animals, such as antelopes. and one was found dead with no sign of being slaughtered, specified the same source.
The last case is the only one killed by poachers, as it was found without its tusks, he added.
Between 2010 and 2014. it is estimated that Mozambique lost about 1,200 elephants annually.
In 2015, the number fell to 127 and in 2018 it stood at 27.
The positive assessment is due to a combination of factors, including aerial surveillance, ground patrols, the presence of special forces on the ground and the involvement of authorities from neighbouring countries.
In the 2018 elephant census, a total population of 9,122 animals was calculated for Mozambique.