Nearly 90 elephants have been killed for ivory in Botswana, according to a wildlife charity. But the government has cast doubt on the figure, saying many of the elephants died of "natural causes."
Botswana charity Elephants Without Borders said on Tuesday that on Tuesday that at least 87 elephant carcasses have been discovered during a three-month census of the animal's population in the country.
"Each day we are counting dead elephants," said EWB director Mike Chase. "The scale of elephant poaching is by far the largest I have seen or read about in Africa to date."
The charity group said poachers had targeted older male elephants due to their heavier tusks. The ivory tusks are often shipped to Asia, where they sell for roughly $1,000 (€860) per kilo (2.2 pounds).
"A clear order has been put out for tusks of a specific weight, and I suspect such large ivory is in heavy demand, considering that there are few large tuskers left in Africa," Chase added.
But the Botswana government has cast doubt on EWB's tally of recently killed elephants in the country, saying the "statistics are false and misleading."
"At no point in the last months or recently were 87 or 90 elephants killed in one incident in any place in Botswana," the government said in a statement on Twitter.
EWB had blamed the government's decision to disarm park rangers as the prime reason for the increase in poaching. But the government said that many of the elephants — 53 according to their rally — had died of "natural causes," and that disarming park rangers had no impact on the animal's population.
"The withdrawal of weapons from DWNP (Department of Wildlife and National Parks) has not created any vacuum in anti-poaching operations as the anti-poaching unit in DWNP continues to play a pivotal role in combating wildlife crime through other strategic interventions," it added.
Poaching takes a toll on elephants
Elephant numbers have dropped by more than 60 percent over the last decade due to habitat loss and poaching. An estimated 100 African elephants are killed each day by poachers seeking ivory and meat.
Image: picture alliance/blickwinkel/M. Hicken
Dwindling numbers
A century ago, 10 million elephants were roaming across Africa - today, there are an estimated 450,000 to 700,000 African elephants and between 35,000 and 40,000 wild Asian elephants. Since elephant numbers have dropped by 62 percent over the last decade, conservationists fear they could be almost extinct in the next 10 years.
Image: picture-alliance/R. Harding
Killed for their ivory tusks
Every day, around 100 African elephants are killed for their tusks, which end up being sold mainly on the Asian market. In the past five years, Chinese demand for ivory has gone up, which fueled poaching even more. In July, customs officials at Zurich airport seized 262 kilograms (578 pounds) of ivory chopped up and hidden in eight suitcases during a random search on three Chinese passengers.
Image: Reuters/R. Sprich
Conflict fueled by ivory sales
Wildlife trafficking has been estimated to be the third biggest illegal business after drug and human trafficking. Illegal ivory boosts all kind of conflicts across the continent. For example, insurgent groups like Al-Shabab, the Lord's Resistance Army and Boko Haram buy weapons by handing in elephant tusks. A pound of ivory sells for about $1,000 (903 euros) on the Chinese black market.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/African Parks
Coexisting with elephants
Despite a ban on international ivory trade, elephants are still being targeted in large numbers. Organizations like SOS Elephants say it's crucial to teach local communities about why elephants are important for Africa's ecosystem and how they can make a living through ecotourism and coexisting farming techniques instead.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa-Zentralbild
Habitat loss
In addition to poaching, elephants are also struggling with dwindling habitat. Human populations have vastly increased since the turn of the century, meaning there's less space for elephants: Forests have been cleared and turned into land for crops or livestock. And some of the animals have been captured, trained and used for activities such as illegal logging.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Gambarini
Silver lining?
At the end of July 2015, US President Barack Obama announced plans to effectively ban most ivory trade in the United States and to add new restrictions when it could be exported. The US is the second biggest market for ivory after China which has also pledged to clamp down on ivory trade on its domestic markets.
Image: picture alliance/blickwinkel/M. Hicken
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'Targeted by poachers'
British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Tuesday that she was "saddened to see elephants targeted by poachers."
"The UK will continue to work with Botswana, who have a long and successful conservation program," May said, adding that she looks forward to tackling the issue at the End Wild Life Crime summit in London in October.
Roughly 30,000 elephants are killed in Africa each year for sale in Asian markets, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Botswana has the largest elephant population on the continent, with more than 135,000 of them.
