Elephant numbers in the Zambezi Valley declined by 40 percent between 2001 and 2014 and in areas south of Lake Kariba, according to findings of the Great Lake Census, the jumbos population went down by 76 percent.
According to the elephant population survey that was carried out in 2008, there were about 70,000 elephants in Zimbabwe.
As a result of the depletion of the elephant population, director Richard Maasdorp of the non-governmental organization, Zambezi Society, is in the USA to meet with conservation organizations and potential funders who may help in anti-poaching in the Zambezi Valley.
The organization released a statement Monday saying Maasdorp will be talking to influential conservation leaders and individuals interested in the work being done by the Society and other organizations to protect Africa’s elephants and their environs.
This happens when the world was commemorating International Elephant Day, a day set side to review the conservation of elephants and their habitat.
Meanwhile, a 25-year-old Bulawayo man, Steve Coetzee, was trampled to death by an elephant in the Hwange National Park on Monday.
A professional hunter, Raphael Ndlovu, who was called to track and kill the elephant by the National Parks and Wildlife Management, said the attack was devastating.
“Apparently the family was coming from Sinamatela and on the way they saw some elephants and one of them got out of the car and the elephants came from a blind spot,” he said.