FYI -- Gorongosa National Park is a Wildlife Reserve situated in the Heart of Mozambique.
Mozambique was a Former Portuguese Colony that is situated in Southern Africa.
In the 20th Century, Elephants have been used to finance violent conflicts across Africa through the ivory trade, resulting in a population reduction in the hundreds of thousands. The ivory trade continues to contribute to a terrible decrease across the continent despite the seizure of 56 tons of illegal ivory from 2009 to 2014.
In Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park, a civil war raged from 1977 to 1992 during which time
over 90 % of the Elephants were slaughtered for the Ivory Trade.
The National Geographic Documentary "War Elephants" chronicles the restoration and ongoing efforts to acclimatize elephants to peaceful human cohabitation in Gorongosa.
The mass killings of elephants during the war disrupted elephant societies, leaving the orphans and traumatized survivors aggressively weary of the presence of humans. The Park, with the assistance of Dr. Joyce Poole and her brother, cameraman Bob Poole, are building a mutually beneficial relationship with the elephants of the park that will allow tourism to thrive and help eradicate poaching in the region.
Individuals with little economic opportunities are drawn to the ivory trade where a kilogram of ivory can be worth up to $1,000 on the black market.
At the current rate, African Elephants will be extinct before the end of this century, as the birth rate of elephants can’t keep up with the pace of the killings.
Elephants play a vital role in the ecosystems they inhabit. During dry seasons elephants will dig in waterholes to access underground water sources, creating water holes for other species. They aid in seed dispersal and their dung provides vital nutrients to plant life as a natural fertilizer.
Credits : Huffington Post
Mozambique was a Former Portuguese Colony that is situated in Southern Africa.
In the 20th Century, Elephants have been used to finance violent conflicts across Africa through the ivory trade, resulting in a population reduction in the hundreds of thousands. The ivory trade continues to contribute to a terrible decrease across the continent despite the seizure of 56 tons of illegal ivory from 2009 to 2014.
In Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park, a civil war raged from 1977 to 1992 during which time
over 90 % of the Elephants were slaughtered for the Ivory Trade.
The National Geographic Documentary "War Elephants" chronicles the restoration and ongoing efforts to acclimatize elephants to peaceful human cohabitation in Gorongosa.
The mass killings of elephants during the war disrupted elephant societies, leaving the orphans and traumatized survivors aggressively weary of the presence of humans. The Park, with the assistance of Dr. Joyce Poole and her brother, cameraman Bob Poole, are building a mutually beneficial relationship with the elephants of the park that will allow tourism to thrive and help eradicate poaching in the region.
Individuals with little economic opportunities are drawn to the ivory trade where a kilogram of ivory can be worth up to $1,000 on the black market.
At the current rate, African Elephants will be extinct before the end of this century, as the birth rate of elephants can’t keep up with the pace of the killings.
Elephants play a vital role in the ecosystems they inhabit. During dry seasons elephants will dig in waterholes to access underground water sources, creating water holes for other species. They aid in seed dispersal and their dung provides vital nutrients to plant life as a natural fertilizer.
Credits : Huffington Post
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