De centralafrikanske skoves “lydløse giganter”, skovelefanterne, er gået tilbage med over 60 procent i antal på blot ti år og forskere frygter deres totale udryddelse i den vilde natur indenfor et årti efter det hidtil største studie af tykhuden.
Conservationists said “effective, rapid, multi-level action is imperative (afgørende nødvendig)” in order to save the African forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis), BBC online writes Tuesday.
They are concerned the forest elephants are being killed for their ivory (elfenben).
Over 60 co-authors contributed to the study, which was led by scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
Findings indicated that large areas where the elephants ranged just 10 years ago now have very few elephants remaining.
Scientists surveyed forests in Cameroon, Central African Republic, the DR Congo, Gabon and the Republic of Congo.
Dr Fiona Maisels of the WCS said the teams recorded important “human signs” such as snares and bullet casings during the field missions from 2002 to 2011, where survey teams spent “91.600 person-days… walking 12.875 km” to compile the largest amount of African forest elephant data ever collected.
“We were shocked to see that huge parts of the reasonably intact African forests have lost most of their elephants,” commented Dr Maisels.
Conservationists suggest that almost one-third of the land where African forest elephants were living 10 years ago has become dangerous for animals, since poachers can access these areas using road networks meant for logging (tømmerhugst).
Se også
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0059469
