View allAll Photos Tagged Poacher
Taken in Botswana when this little one didn't have to worry about hunters and poachers. Sadly, this is no longer the case. Once a safe heaven for elephants and a great example for the rest of the African countries, their new leader has changed course. Such a disappointing move.
white rhino in Balule Private Game Preserve in South Africa bordering Kruger National Park
the horns in the park have been removed to discourage the killing of rhinos by poachers
I have a poacher family who's been haunting me for yr's. They hunt with bow 3 mths of the yr. Sit on open field side of my bush, bait, and shoot. Of course every deer jumps back into my bush. I have no trespassing signs & no hunting signs all around the project. They know I live 33 mins away and go at night to pick up the deer [when they find them, or I get to find them which sucks]. They are clever and never get caught as wardens live even farther away. Not against hunting for food, and I honestly wouldn't mind if they hunted 1,ooo feet from my edge and took one or two for food [so they dropped before my bush], but I find more than that dead every yr from their lack of hunting ethics. I shoot with a camera & I love this photo as I'd rather see them like this than rotting on the ground. Venting!!!!!
The Southern White Rhino is considered Near-threatened by IUCN. The populations are Sadly still under threat from poachers.
We came upon this White Rhino while he was taking a leisurely stroll in Kruger National Park. Even in a National Park, these animals are not safe from poachers, so I was pleased to see the Army deployed in the park in the late afternoon as we headed towards the exit. An Army who protects the wildlife is an Army working for the benefit of the country.
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last february i have been very lucky to meet as first car a wild dog pack sleeping on a kruger road.i got photos with an unusual and exceptional low angle.
the wild dog (lycaon pictus) is a really endangered animal and looking on the photos i just found one that really disappoint me...the face of this beautiful dog is marked from a metal snare.those snares are used in massively in the kruger from poachers.fortunatly this time the snare (normally used to hunt antelopes for bushmeat) has closed in the face of the animal and not on the neck.so the dog has been able to escape.thousands of animals are catched from poachers with this deadly snares.it is a non selective trap.every kind of animal can remain trapped.
lions ,leopard and others die in the snares after hours of terrible pain and suffering...elephants can loose a leg.
the rangers many time must kill the injured animal,
but sometimes they kill the poachers........
the damned poachers!
Rhinoceros: since 1973 the population has recovered well and increased to 544 animals around the turn of the century. To ensure the survival of the endangered species in case of epidemics animals are translocated annually from Chitwan to the Bardia National Park and the Sukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve since 1986. However, the population has repeatedly been jeopardized by poaching: in 2002 alone, poachers killed 37 individuals in order to saw off and sell their valuable horns.[6] Chitwan has the largest population of Indian rhinoceros in Nepal, estimated at 605 individuals out of 645 in total in the country.
Der Park ist bekannt für die Population des Panzernashorns, die bis zur Jahrtausendwende auf 544 Tiere und bis zum Frühjahr 2015 auf 645 Nashörner[6] angewachsen war. Seit 1986 werden alljährlich Tiere von Chitwan in den Bardia-Nationalpark und in das Suklaphanta-Wildreservat übersiedelt. Die Population war aber immer wieder durch Wilderei stark gefährdet: allein im Jahre 2002 haben Wilderer 37 Tiere grausam getötet, um das kostbare Horn absägen und verkaufen zu können. Die letzte Zählung im Jahr 2011 ergab insgesamt 503 Nashörner im Park, im selben Zeitraum starben zwei Tiere durch Wilderer. Bei der Zählung im Frühjahr 2015 wurden 645 Tiere in Nepal gefunden[6], davon 605 im Chitwan-Nationalpark[8], während gleichzeitig in den letzten drei Jahren kein Tier durch Wilderer ums Leben kam.
Created for New!! Challenge #141.0 ~ It's Your Earth ~ The Award Tree ~
www.flickr.com/groups/awardtree/discuss/72157666060585420...
Seventy elephants are killed every day for the tusks. Every week 20 rhinos disappear. Poaching not 'truce and international commitments do not seem to bring the desired results. The pace of killings is likely to climb every prediction about the possible extinction of these wonderful creatures. Fangs, horns and skins feeding a lap of illicit business estimated at over 23 billion dollars a year. But you can not surrender to this devastating scenario, because it is understood, in these years, that there are appropriate measures to stop poaching, which has now become a major activity of international criminal groups, such as drug trafficking and trafficking human.
But corruption among police, poachers and "anti-poaching" is stronger than laws.
It 's amazing that even today, in 2016, in a world that is moving increasingly towards vegan, respect for animals, all this happens as in past centuries.
World should take action, not enough rules of the African countries....
in order to lighten the news...
overlapping of my landscapes, elephants thanks to Pixabay
Thank you for stopping by....
All rights reserved. Image can not be inserted in blogs, websites or any other form, without my written permission.
As they pulled you out of the oxygen tent
You asked for the latest party
With your silicone hump and your ten inch stump
Dressed like a priest you was
Todd Browning's freak you was
Crawling down the alley on your hands and knee
I'm sure you're not protected, for it's plain to see
The Diamond Dogs are poachers and they hide behind trees
Hunt you to the ground they will,
mannequins with kill appeal
(Will they come?) I'll keep a friend serene
(Will they come?) Oh baby, come unto me
(Will they come?)
Well, she's come, been and gone.
Come out of the garden, baby
You'll catch your death in the fog
Young girl, they call them the Diamond Dogs
The Halloween Jack is a real cool cat
And he lives on top of Manhattan Chase
The elevator's broke, so he slides down a rope
Onto the street below, oh Tarzie, go man go
Meet his little hussy with his ghost town approach
Her face is sans feature, but she wears a Dali brooch
Sweetly reminiscent, something mother used to bake
Wrecked up and paralyzed, Diamond Dogs are sableized
In the year of the scavenger, the season of the bitch
Sashay on the boardwalk, scurry to the Ditch
Just another future song, lonely little kitsch
(There's gonna be sorrow) try and wake up tomorrow
Ooh, call them the Diamond Dogs [x2]
Bow-wow, woof woof, bow-wow, wow
Call them the Diamond Dogs
Keep cool..
Diamond Dogs rule, OK
Beware of the Diamond Dogs
Wild South Africa
Kruger National Park
Not a tusker yet but getting there, if he does not fall victim to poachers.
And their roar raged through the ground, made the trees shiver, the animals look in awe and the ignorant run for cover. Playful fire escaped their nostrils.
"Look! Over there! Poachers!" She yelled, holding on tight over the sturdy metallic white scales.
"Dinner time, yummy!" said one.
"Wait, should we investigate..." said another.
"BURN, BURN!" said the third.
The birds over her horns fluttered their wings in panic, tweeting protests about burning.
She shook her head, caressing the bigger head that purred lightly, "Yes, let's investigate first." she agreed.
"You guys are boring..."
"I was really hungry."
P.S. Natty made these amazing magical horns that are coming soon to Chi. check out her tease preview. Also these 3 headed dragon by Rezz Room, pure love!
Atreyu: Yes. But it's hopeless. It's too far away!
Falkor: Oh, I wouldn't necessarily say that.
Atreyu: You... you know how to get there?
Falkor: Why, sure. It's right around the corner.
Atreyu: How'd all this happen?!
Falkor: [chuckles] With luck! [winks again]
Atreyu: You've already brought me the entire 10,000 miles?
Falkor: No, only 9,891. As the dragon flies.
Atreyu: You're amazing!
Falkor: [chuckles] Having a luckdragon with you is the only way to go on a quest. Things will work out fine, Atreyu. Never give up, and good luck will find you.
- The Neverending Story Movie
The African White-backed Vulture is a large, buff-brown vulture with pale underwing patches and a diagnostic pale rump patch that is best seen in flight. Prefers open savanna and plains, where it breeds in loose colonies in tall trees. It remains Africa's commonest vulture but is declining rapidly as it is highly susceptible to poisoning.
African White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus) _w_0629
Tanzania
*Thank you all so much for your kind comments and Favs. It’s most appreciated!
A pub at Spalding which I've not tried. I took this photo while we waited for the water taxi, which is a super trip.
The camera shutter is failing, before Brexit I could have got this fixed easily enough by posting it to someone competent in Europe, but no longer.
Exacta Varex IIa 1960
Zeiss Pancolar 50 mm f/2
Fuji Superia Xtra 400 film
Lab develop & scan
000015510003_0001
più avanti raggiungiamo la zona di coltivazione di branzini e cozze dove vediamo pure una barchetta di pescatori di frodo
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further on we reach the sea bass and mussel cultivation area where we also find a small boat of poachers
Okavango Delta
Botswana
Moremi Game Reserve
Tomorrow is World Elephant Day.
World Elephant Day is an international annual event on August 12, dedicated to the preservation and protection of the world's elephants. It was officially founded, supported and launched by Patricia Sims, wildlife photographer, and the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation on August 12, 2012.
The goal of International Elephant Day is to create awareness of the urgent plight of African and Asian elephants, and to share knowledge and positive solutions for the better care and management of captive and wild elephants. African elephants are listed as "Vulnerable" and Asian elephants as "Endangered" on the IUCN Red List of threatened species.
The current population estimates are about 415,000 for African and Asian elephants.
They’re intelligent, they’re family-oriented, and they have great memories. They are capable of feeling a wide range of deep emotions, from intense grief to joy bordering on elation, as well as empathy and stunning self-awareness. They create complex, supportive societies much like our own.
Taking into consideration all of that and much, much more, what’s not to love about elephants? Still, countless elephants are brutally killed every year for their ivory by greedy poachers who then leave their carcasses to rot in the sun. – Wikipedia
This was the first time I had ever seen a Parrot in the wild before. I have seen wild Lovebirds and Parakeets but never a true Parrot. I searched for this Parrot unsuccessfully in San Diego, so it was really cool to finally see one in Texas. I saw them nesting in palm trees as well during my trip, which was neat to see.
This particular parrot was all alone (which is unusual). He was eating in this tree in the parking lot of Estero Llano Grande State Park. It was a real surprise to find him there! He was as tame as ever and very beautiful. This is one of the few Parrots that the American Birding Association deems as countable. The birds in South Texas are feral or descendants of natural vagrants from Mexico. The other name for this bird is Red-crowned Amazon.
Unfortunately, this endemic Mexican Parrot is endangered and numbers are continuing to decline. There are only 1500 birds left in the wild in Mexico. The main reason they are declining is due to habitat loss and because they are being trapped and sold illegally to the US and within Mexico itself. Around 78,500 birds are captured and traded each year in Mexico.
We must do all we can to help end the cruel and illegal Parrot trade, where many Parrots die during transport, are sold in markets in tiny cages and whole wild bird populations are decimated.
Parrots are extremely social animals that live in flocks and fly long distances. Therefore, to be alone in a cage is very stressful for such an intelligent bird where they can no longer fly, groom and interact.
The industry is poorly regulated in Mexico and there is little enforcement for criminal activity. The best way to fight this problem is awareness, education, proper enforcement and jail time for poachers. Also, if you must have a parrot do not buy one but adopt a rescue bird instead.
Okavango Delta
Botswana
Southern Africa
Botswana has the largest elephant population on the continent due to tight protection and civil unrest in neighboring countries. The relative difficulty in accessing the wildlife areas coupled with the military threat to poachers has allowed the elephant population in Botswana to grow.
The Chobe River front was once only a part of the ancient elephant migration routes but with civil war in Angola and the war of liberation in Namibia the elephants fell victim to mass poaching. Rival armies were killing elephants for target practice and to sell ivory for weapons. The Chobe became the dry season refuge for the herds and over the years the numbers built up and Chobe’s reputation grew.
There have been incidents of poaching in Botswana, but the government decided to set up a military task force in the fight against the scourge. The task force became a full-time anti-poaching unit.
The end of the war in Namibia, and relative peace having returned to Angola, the elephants have slowly but surely started moving across the Chobe River again. There are many elephants that have not had the experience of migration routes and still see Chobe as a dry season refuge.
The Linyanti area of Botswana was once a hunting concession but in the past 10 years, with only photographic tourism being offered, the elephants are starting to return en masse to the region..
Other areas of Botswana such as the Okavango Delta also see high concentrations of elephant due to the permanent water source. – Internet Source - Botswana Wildlife
A mother White Rhinoceros and her baby met on the road to Satara... to protect them from poachers the guards have to cut off their horns...the price to pay to live
Une mère Rhinocéros blanc et son petit rencontrés sur la route de Satara... pour les protéger des braconniers les gardes doivent leur couper les cornes... le prix à payer pour vivre !!!
Moremi Game Reserve
Okavango Delta
Botswana
Southern Africa
Botswana has the largest elephant population on the continent due to tight protection and civil unrest in neighbouring countries. The relative difficulty in accessing the wildlife areas coupled with the military threat to poachers has allowed the elephant population in Botswana to grow.
The Chobe River front was once only a part of the ancient elephant migration routes but with civil war in Angola and the war of liberation in Namibia the elephants fell victim to mass poaching.
Rival armies were killing elephants for target practice and to sell ivory for weapons. The elephants reacted to this threat by not crossing Chobe River, instead the Chobe then became the dry season refuge for the herds and over the years the numbers built up and the reputation of Chobe grew.
There have been incidents of poaching in Botswana, mainly rhino, but the government decided to set up a military task force in the fight against the scourge. Poachers were ruthlessly dealt with and the task force became a full-time anti-poaching unit.
The end of the war in Namibia, and relative peace having returned to Angola, the elephants have slowly but surely started moving across the Chobe River again. There are many elephants that have not had the experience of the migration routes and still see Chobe as a dry season refuge.
The Linyanti area of Botswana was once a hunting concession but in the past 10 years, with only photographic tourism being offered, the elephants are starting to return en masse to the region and Linyanti today is being touted as equal to Chobe when it comes to elephant experience.
Other areas of Botswana such as the Okavango Delta also see high concentrations of elephant due to the permanent water source. Wikipedia
Turkey Vultures seem to have a "world weary" expression, as if they have seen it all, and there's nothing that can surprise them.
They truly are nature's clean-up crew, and when there is a group circling overhead, it's a good sign there's been a kill.
I read some time ago that in Africa, poachers kill vultures, as they would provide clues to the game wardens that there had been an illegal kill, and that's how they were finding the poachers. The kill of the vultures obviously created a lot of problems, as they are such an important part of the ecosystem.
Photo taken May 18, 2023
We have now arrived at Chobe National Park. Chobe Park is a huge area that was set aside for the animals of Botswana in 1968.
There are flood plains (like this one) swamp and woodlands. Hundreds of animals can be seen on the flood plain one minute and then it can be deserted. It is an incredible visual treat and one of the wonders of nature. One afternoon there were hundreds of elephants and one day these Cape Buffalos. In the morning you expected to see great numbers of animals only to see the plains empty.
Because Botswana limits the numbers of visitors that can on safari, you can truly feel like you are experiencing the wilderness at its best. Since Botswana kills poachers on sight, the huge hers of elephants are protected successfully!
The Cape Buffalo can be quite fierce so it was a bit overwhelming to see such a large herd all in one place. The safari guide always is cautious when viewing such spectacles and I knew there wouldn't be a stampede.
A reminder that all of my images are copyrighted and are not for your use in any way unless you contact me.
Not likely ... A woman selling poached birds at a Chiang Mai flea market turns away from the camera to avoid getting identified. People buy these birds to set them free.
Okavango Delta
Botswana
Southern Africa
Botswana has the largest elephant population on the continent due to tight protection and civil unrest in neighboring countries. The relative difficulty in accessing the wildlife areas coupled with the military threat to poachers has allowed the elephant population in Botswana to grow.
The Chobe River front was once only a part of the ancient elephant migration routes but with civil war in Angola and the war of liberation in Namibia the elephants fell victim to mass poaching. Rival armies were killing elephants for target practice and to sell ivory for weapons. The Chobe became the dry season refuge for the herds and over the years the numbers built up and Chobe’s reputation grew.
There have been incidents of poaching in Botswana, but the government decided to set up a military task force in the fight against the scourge. The task force became a full-time anti-poaching unit.
The end of the war in Namibia, and relative peace having returned to Angola, the elephants have slowly but surely started moving across the Chobe River again. There are many elephants that have not had the experience of migration routes and still see Chobe as a dry season refuge.
The Linyanti area of Botswana was once a hunting concession but in the past 10 years, with only photographic tourism being offered, the elephants are starting to return en masse to the region..
Other areas of Botswana such as the Okavango Delta also see high concentrations of elephant due to the permanent water source. – Internet Source - Botswana Wildlife
Almost always on guard! they are food to large cats like lions and leopards... (although they don`t know that the lions were all poisoned in this park by the poachers.) Also Jackal and Hyenas. Black Kites are a threat to them as well.
The Ugandan Kob is a subspecies of the kob, a type of antelope. It is found in sub-Saharan Africa in South Sudan, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Ugandan Kob is normally reddish-brown, differentiating it from other kob subspecies.
It is typically found in open or wooded savanna, within a reasonable distance of water, and it also occurs in grasslands near rivers and lakes. Its habit of lying out in open grassland make it an accessible target for poachers, and 98% of the present population are found in national parks and other protected areas.
A Ugandan Kob appears on the coat of arms of Uganda, along with a Grey Crowned Crane, representing the abundant wildlife present in the country.
Queen Elizabeth II National Park, Uganda. February 2017.
Ōrua Paeroa – North New Brighton
Travis Wetland Ōrua Paeroa was a Māori kaika at North New Brighton near to Travis Wetland situated on the site of present day QEII Park. This complex was the site of the 1974 Commonwealth Games hosted by Christchurch City. Sadly, QEII Park was demolished after extensive damage to the park following the 2011 earthquakes.
Ōrua Paeroa was known as the place where strong east winds blew in from the sea. It was used primarily as a mahinga kai and abounded with eels and birdlife.
In the past this wetland area had an opening that extended to the sea and Ngāi Tahu traditions recall that shark could be caught here at certain times of the year.
"The Cage at Lyme Park was originally built around 1580 as a hunting lodge where the ladies of the estate could watch the hunt.
At night it was used as a banqueting hall. It overlooks the nearby moors and 1,300 acres of park land.
In later years it was used as a game keeper’s residence and as a jail for poachers. The tower was recently featured as a film location in the 2011 supernatural thriller – The Awakening"
The Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) is a fascinating, small African vulture that has a deeply tragic story.
Despite being incredibly vital to the ecosystems they inhabit, these birds are facing an unprecedented crisis.
From "Abundant" to Critically Endangered
For centuries, Hooded Vultures were one of the most common sights across sub-Saharan Africa. They adapted beautifully to living alongside humans, acting as regular visitors to urban markets, dumpsters, and villages. However, their populations have crashed so violently—declining by over 50% to 83% across recent generations—that the IUCN officially classified them as Critically Endangered. They are now on the very brink of extinction.
Targeted by Poachers
Because vultures circle over carcasses, they act as natural warning beacons in the bush. When poachers illegally kill elephants or rhinos for ivory and horn, circling vultures alert park rangers to the crime scene. To prevent their positions from being given away, poachers deliberately lace the megafauna carcasses with highly toxic pesticides, killing hundreds of vultures at a single feeding site.
Victims of the Illegal Wildlife TradeHooded Vultures are heavily targeted for belief-based use and traditional medicine (sometimes called Muti or Vodun practices). In some West African markets, researchers found that up to 90% of all bird parts traded belonged to the Hooded Vulture. They are killed because of superstitious beliefs that their brains or heads can grant clairvoyance, bring good luck, or predict the future.
Vultures cannot bounce back easily from mass mortality events. Hooded Vultures are strictly monogamous, pairing for life, and they lay only one single egg per breeding cycle. If a parent is poisoned or killed, the entire reproductive line for that year—and potentially the surviving mate's future—is shattered.
Unlike larger, more aggressive vulture species, Hooded Vultures are relatively small (weighing only about 1.5 to 2.6 kg) and quite shy. At a carcass, they cannot compete with bigger birds or mammalian predators. They are forced to wait patiently on the fringes for the scraps, picking at the bare skin and bones after everyone else leaves. Ironically, their patience makes them incredibly vulnerable to the residual toxins left in poisoned carcasses.
Vultures are nature's ultimate cleanup crew. Their stomach acid is a biological marvel—so incredibly acidic (pH 1 to 2) that it completely neutralizes deadly pathogens like anthrax, rabies, and botulism that would kill other animals. As Hooded Vultures quietly vanish from African towns and ecosystems.
Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) adult landing Senegal_L_9250.
Casual as you like, this Rhino stepped out into the road, no fear of death by tourist coach, but poachers might be another matter.
This shot taken in Kruger National Park in South Africa.
The Skua enjoys the egg that it stole from the penguin nest - - there will be one less penguin in the world.
The Skua is not the only egg poacher though - - the farmers in the Falklands used to harvest these eggs once upon a time - - its not a practice being done anymore though.
Skua - Falkland Islands
Lewa Wildlife Conservancy
Kenya
East Africa
Image taken in the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy located just above the equator which consists of 66,000 acres.
It is a private reserve and home to 66 white rhino. The property is heavily guarded by air and ground security to keep out poachers.
The white rhinoceros or square-lipped rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) is the largest extant species of rhinoceros. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the most social of all rhino species.
The white rhinoceros consists of two subspecies: the southern white rhinoceros, with an estimated 17,460 wild-living animals at the end of 2007, and the much rarer northern white rhinoceros. – Wikipedia
I noticed that some of the adult elephants did not have tusks. I asked one of our guides about this and he replied that it is a result of poaching. The poachers take the large tusked elephants out of the gene pool and over time more and more elephants with no tusks are born. About 30 percent are tuskless. It is a disadvantage for them because they do use their tusks to dig up roots to eat.
Somebody is depositing food for the wild deer on Cannock Chase putting them at risk of poachers and being killed crossing roads.
Nice sized tusks on this guy! Unfortunately, it makes him a bigger target for ivory poachers. African Bush Elephants are considered Endangered by IUCN and on the Red LIst.
22.4.1989.
LMS Stanier Class 5MT 4-6-0 No 44932 crosses the River Witham. as it gets away from Lincoln with the 'Lincolnshire Poacher' (London St. Pancras - Derby - Lincoln - Derby - London St. Pancras) during the late afternoon of 22nd April 1989.
Copied from a Kodachrome colour slide and converted to mono in SilverEfexPro2.
For Smile on Saturday. Pareidolia. ( This is a psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus..(often an image being perceived as significant. It commonly occurs as face-like patterns in inanimate objects.")
Whilst I was painfully aware of Rhino and elephant poaching, the lesser known problem which happens in all parks is Lion poaching. It's certainly been problematic at Glen Garriff with Lions being killed for their heads, bones, skin, teeth and even claws.
Made worse is previously, there was a ban on flying any 'trophies' from Africa to America, a policy recently and ignorantly reversed by Trump.
Many of these lion rescues came from circuses and they are used to humans which makes it all the more heartbreaking when they may approach the poachers, little knowing the poacher's plans.
Bright eyes photographed with love at Glen Garriff conservation, Harrismith, South Africa
Okavango Delta
Botswana
Moremi Game Reserve
Botswana has the largest elephant population on the continent due to tight protection and civil unrest in neighboring countries. The relative difficulty in accessing the wildlife areas coupled with the military threat to poachers has allowed the elephant population in Botswana to grow.
Elephants are mammals of the family Elephantidae and the largest existing land animals. Three species are currently recognized: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. Elephantidae is the only surviving family of the order Proboscidea; extinct members include the mastodons.
Elephants are scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia and are found in different habitats, including savannahs, forests, deserts, and marshes. They are herbivorous, and they stay near water when it is accessible. They are keystone species, due to their impact on their environments.
African elephants are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). One of the biggest threats to elephant populations is the ivory trade, as the animals are poached for their ivory tusks. Other threats to wild elephants include habitat destruction and conflicts with local people. Wikipedia
Samburu National Reserve
Kenya
Elephant Bedroom Camp
Meet Mang’ati, a wild male elephant in Samburu National Reserve. He was named this by the guides in Elephant Bedroom Camp. His name means Enemy.
Elephant numbers have dropped by 62% over the last decade, and they could be mostly extinct by the end of the next decade. An estimated 100 African elephants are killed each day by poachers seeking ivory, meat and body parts, leaving only 400,000 remaining. An insatiable lust for ivory products makes the illegal ivory trade extremely profitable and has led to the slaughter of tens of thousands of African elephants.
If the elephants are to survive, the demand for ivory must be drastically reduced. As of 2011, the world is losing more elephants than the population can reproduce, threatening the future of African elephants across the continent. Bull elephants with big tusks are the main targets and their numbers have been diminished to less than half of the females. Female African elephants have tusks and are also killed, leaving an increasing number of orphaned baby elephants. As of 2017, there are more African elephants being killed for ivory than are being born.
Elephants are a keystone species. It means they create and maintain the ecosystems in which they live and make it possible for a myriad of plant and animal species to live in those environments as well. The loss of elephants gravely affects many species that depend on elephant-maintained ecosystems. - Wikipedia
Cervus nippon pseudaxis - è una sottospecie più piccola del cervo giapponese. E' un animale ormai estinto allo stato selvatico, un tempo presente anche nel nostro Paese.
Nel Parco faunistico La Torbiera è in corso un progetto di riproduzione e allevamento allo scopo di reintrodurlo in natura, sperando che questo non serva ad offrire nuovi bersagli ai bracconieri.
*Cervus nippon pseudaxis* is a smaller subspecies of the Japanese deer. It is now extinct in the wild, though it was once found in our country as well.
A breeding and rearing project is currently underway at the La Torbiera wildlife park with the aim of reintroducing the species into the wild—though one hopes this will not simply provide new targets for poachers.
... and we need help against the human beasts of poachers and trophy hunters !
World Lion Day, 10th August
Five sad facts about the "king of animals":
- from last year, but I doubt, if things got better in the meantime :-(
1. Africa’s lion population has reduced by approximately 43% over the past 21 years according to the IUCN. This big cat species (Panthera leo) is listed by the IUCN as Vulnerable; facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
2. An estimated 20,000 lions are left in the wild. They are extinct in 26 African countries and have disappeared from 90% of their historical roaming grounds.
3. In South Africa, there are currently more lions kept in captivity for canned hunting purposes than there are in the wild. None of the animals being kept in captivity can be used in relocation or conservation programmes as they are often tame and genetically contaminated.
4. Sub-Saharan Africa is developing and expanding at a rapid rate, resulting in the lions facing habitat destruction, loss of their prey base to the bush meat trade and, ultimately, human-lion conflict.
5. At the rate that we are currently going, it is estimated that lions will be extinct in the wild by 2050
To read more about this global campaign aimed at celebrating the importance of lions and to raise awareness of their plight, please visit the World Lion Day website.
Lion / Löwe (Panthera leo)
in Serengeti N.P., Tanzania, Africa
World Elephant Day has been celebrated every August 12th since 2012 to raise awareness for the need to protect and preserve elephants.
Elephants are an endangered species, and the animal’s population has shrunk significantly over the past few decades. For example, in Africa, there are only about 415,000 elephants remaining; in 1989, there were 600,000, and in 1979, there were 1.3 million. Many factors have contributed to population decrease, but one of the most significant is poaching. Poachers in Africa have illegally killed an estimated 110,000 elephants over the past decade - about one quarter of what Africa’s elephant population was 10 years ago.
This photo was taken in the Amboseli National Park which holds a large population.