According to the conservation organizationWildlife Direct a recent survey of elephants in the Democratic Republic of Congo reveals that populations have dropped 80 percent in fifty years. The survey was conducted by John Hart using inventories in forests, aerial surveys, and interviews with local peoples.
Populations of elephants in the region have dropped from an estimated 100,000 in the 1950s to 20,000 today. There are only six core populations of elephants in DR Congo, five of which reside in protected areas. Yet, all of them are threatened by poaching for ivory.
 Forest elephant in Gabon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. |
“Almost everyone doing forest surveys in D.R.Congo, no matter where, has come across elephant carcasses with the tusks hacked out,” John Hart said on the Searching for the Bonobo in Congo program website.
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