{"id":86691,"date":"2024-07-03T10:31:06","date_gmt":"2024-07-03T10:31:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/03\/a-ban-on-elephant-hunting-has-collapsed-or-maybe-it-never-existed\/"},"modified":"2024-07-03T10:31:06","modified_gmt":"2024-07-03T10:31:06","slug":"a-ban-on-elephant-hunting-has-collapsed-or-maybe-it-never-existed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/03\/a-ban-on-elephant-hunting-has-collapsed-or-maybe-it-never-existed\/","title":{"rendered":"A Ban on Elephant Hunting Has Collapsed. Or Maybe It Never Existed."},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"550\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/06\/27\/multimedia\/00cli-elephants-new-bjzg\/00cli-elephants-new-bjzg-facebookJumbo.jpg?resize=1050,550&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"A Ban on Elephant Hunting Has Collapsed. Or Maybe It Never Existed.\" title=\"A Ban on Elephant Hunting Has Collapsed. Or Maybe It Never Existed.\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On the lush, rolling savannas that link northern Tanzania to Amboseli National Park in Kenya, foraging elephants move back and forth on a sloping landscape in the shadow of snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The animals are accustomed to open-sided 4x4s full of tourists on the Kenyan side and seem to sense no danger from the visitors pointing phones. But what the animals probably do not know is that just across the border on the Tanzanian side, which for three decades was just as safe as the park, there are now people pointing guns, not cameras.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Since September, five bull elephants from a population centered around Amboseli have been shot and killed, most likely by trophy hunters, in the Tanzanian part of this wildlife corridor. At least two were so-called super tuskers, with tusks so long that they swept the ground.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">There hasn\u2019t been a similar cluster of rapid killings in the area since the mid-1990s. Conservationists say it points to a breakdown of a tacit agreement between the countries that banned hunting in the border zone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">It also highlights challenges the neighbors face in aligning different approaches to managing their shared wildlife heritage: Kenya forbids hunting and gets all its wildlife revenue through sightseeing. While wildlife spotting safaris are an important part of the Tanzanian economy, the country also permits wealthy tourists to shoot big game.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThis is heartbreaking for me,\u201d said Cynthia Moss, an American zoologist monitoring the roughly 2,000 elephants in the Amboseli herd as director of the Amboseli Trust for Elephants. About 10 of Amboseli\u2019s super tuskers are left, and an additional 15 or so remain across the Kenya, she said. \u201cI know these elephants. I know how trusting they are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The killings have sparked an uproar in Kenya. In April, scores of leading conservationists <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/paulakahumbu\/status\/1767347675186311676\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">wrote an open letter<\/a> to the Tanzanian government demanding that the authorities ban hunting within 25 miles of the Kenyan border. Tanzanian officials have remained silent; government statements in the past have justified hunting on the grounds that it brings in millions of much-needed income.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Kaddu Sebunya, who heads the African Wildlife Foundation, a conservation organization based in Kenya, said it was unlikely that the elephants had been shot by poachers. He noted that there were no signs of an investigation by the Tanzanian authorities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIf a poacher were to kill an elephant illegally at the same site, they would be dealt with by law,\u201d he said. Tanzanian wildlife management officials, as well as Kenya\u2019s wildlife service, did not respond to repeated requests for comments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Elephant killings on the Tanzanian side three decades ago prompted similar anger and led to the announcement of a moratorium on hunting.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In December 1994, three Amboseli elephants were killed in quick succession near Longido, a town about nine miles from the border, prompting an outcry from Kenya. By May 1995, the Tanzanian authorities, under pressure from conservationists and scientists in Kenya and around the world, announced a nine-month ban on hunting in the area.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The moratorium, Tanzanian officials said, would be lifted once the two countries agreed to a clear, defined conservation area in talks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">That\u2019s where things get muddy. While old newspaper clippings confirm that the ban was announced, it\u2019s unclear whether talks were ever held or whether the nine-month restriction was ever lifted. No evidence appears to exist of any further action. But, for whatever reason, hunters had avoided the area until recently.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Ms. Moss and other conservationists in Kenya say there was an unspoken agreement between the two countries after the initial announcement, and it appears to have fallen apart. Experts say they don\u2019t know why. Tanzanian conservation law has not changed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Hunters, meanwhile, say the lack of clarity means the agreement simply did not exist.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Tanzania has about 60,000 elephants today, down from some 316,000 in 1978. In Kenya, about <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kws.go.ke\/file\/2087\/download?token=rZ0WcpMR\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">35,000 remain, down from approximately 160,000<\/a> around the same time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">As a keystone species, elephants not only shape ecosystems for other wildlife \u2014 by creating watering holes with their tusks, for example, and dispersing seeds in their droppings \u2014 but their intelligence and sophisticated social structure mean violent deaths could <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/frontiersinzoology.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/1742-9994-10-62\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">traumatize surviving elephants and result in aggressive behavior<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The bigger, older bulls being targeted are considered crucial for reproduction, and also for transmitting culture and maintaining social order. Male elephants live mostly outside herds, and young bulls will sometimes spend time with older ones who pass on knowledge, like where to forage and where to go when the seasons change.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">They also model behavior. One study found that <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/34933598\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">an absence of older males can make younger bulls more aggressive<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">According to Mr. Sebunya, super tuskers even help younger bulls understand which humans to avoid. \u201cThey tell them, \u2018When you see these tourist vehicles, those are OK, But if you see other types of vehicles, those are problems,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The first elephant lost in the recent wave, Gilgil, a 35-year-old who was killed in September, was one such big tusker.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Singling out elephants like Gilgil, Ms. Moss said, \u201ctakes away the natural elements of competition and survivorship, allowing younger, less tested, perhaps less vigorous, males to reproduce.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Sporting groups, on the other hand, assert that hunting, when properly managed, can be a net positive in a poorer country like Tanzania. (GDP per capital in the country is about $1,200, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/data.worldbank.org\/indicator\/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD?locations=TZ\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">according to the World Bank<\/a>, compared with roughly $2,100 in Kenya.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Zidane Janbeck and Quintin Whitehead, who run Kilombero North Safaris \u2014 which offers hunting trips for elephants, lions, leopards and other big game \u2014 say the company shares a percentage of its revenue with communities that own some of the hunting territory. (Kilombero said it paid the Enduimet Wildlife Management Area a total of $250,000 in 2023. Enduimet officials did not respond to a request for comment.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In addition, human-elephant clashes are rising in Tanzania, in part because of the country\u2019s <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/data.worldbank.org\/indicator\/SP.RUR.TOTL?locations=TZ\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">rapidly growing rural population<\/a> and also because of more frequent and more intense droughts in East Africa. But farmers are less likely to kill elephants that invade their fields, hunters say, if they know they\u2019ll receive a share of hunting revenue.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">And setting aside well-managed wilderness areas for hunting means less land will be razed for agriculture, they add.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Tanzania sets yearly quotas for animals to be hunted (50 elephants this year) and each hunting party must be monitored by an official.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Kilombero confirmed that it had hunted an elephant in the area where Gilgil\u2019s carcass was found, his tusks removed, but denied it had killed a super tusker.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe are guaranteeing you, we are conservationists, we\u2019re not targeting big elephants,\u201d Mr. Janbeck, who led the September hunt, said in a video interview. \u201cWe\u2019re doing everything under the regulations in Tanzania. We\u2019re backed up by the government. We have all the blessings from the local communities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In Longido, locals seem split.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On a recent weekday, a group of men gathered for late-evening drinks and weighed their stance on trophy hunting. As long as it\u2019s legal, fine, one older man concluded. A soft-spoken younger man countered, saying killing for sport was not right.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But do the men benefit from hunting revenue? \u201cNo,\u201d they all said in unison, shaking their heads. The authorities favor wild animals and sport hunters but abandon vulnerable farmers, they said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cYou have to take a loan to grow your farm and these elephants destroy it and we get nothing,\u201d a farmer, Edward Masaki, 53, said in Swahili with a heavy frown.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cRight now I have men guarding my farms day and night with flashlights,\u201d he said. \u201cThe annoying thing is, you can\u2019t kill the animals when they attack.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">He was referring to a nationwide ban on wildlife killing that Tanzania has put in place to guard against poaching. Killing animals without a permit carries a stiff prison term: from three years to 30 years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Meanwhile, conservationists across the border in Amboseli say they are waiting in dread, fearing news that another big tusker has been killed, even as they scramble to get a response from the Tanzanian government.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cAll our pleas have landed on deaf ears,\u201d Ms. Moss said. If the killings continue at the same pace, she said, Amboseli\u2019s tuskers will be wiped out in two years, transforming the ecosystem in unprecedented and negative ways.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cA population that is hunted becomes unnatural because humans are choosing who should pass on his genes and who should not, who should live and who should die,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/07\/03\/climate\/elephant-hunting-amboseli-kenya-tanzania.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On the lush, rolling savannas that link northern Tanzania to Amboseli National Park in Kenya, foraging elephants move back and forth on a sloping landscape in the shadow of snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro. The animals are accustomed to open-sided 4x4s full of tourists on the Kenyan side and seem to sense no danger from the visitors [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":86692,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/06\/27\/multimedia\/00cli-elephants-new-bjzg\/00cli-elephants-new-bjzg-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[230,31408,22945,15717,8718],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86691"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86691"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86691\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86693,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86691\/revisions\/86693"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}