Save the Elephants!
Zakouma National Park (Chad)
Video courtesy of Brian Storm,
MediaStorm
Please Help! >>>
 Late
in August of 2006 Mike Fay, a WILD trustee and Wildlife
Conservation Society biologist, lead a survey crew in
Zakouma National Park (Chad) which discovered 5 elephant
massacre sites, totaling over 100 poaching kills in just 8
days. The elephant carcasses were left at the kill site and
the ivory tusks were extracted brutally for illegal sale.
The sale of ivory has been internationally banned since
1989; however as is evident from Fay’s survey, illegal ivory
trade is flourishing, endangering elephant populations.
Zakouma National Park, located in Chad, a landlocked country
in north central Africa, was established in 1963 and was the
first national park declared in the country. The park
encompasses an area of almost 3000 square kilometers (1200
square miles) and is situated within the Bahr Salamat Faunal
Reserve, providing habitat for lion and elephant, as well as
over 50 other species of mammals and birds. In an effort to
continue preservation of the park, the Chadian government
recently nominated Zakouma National Park as a UNESCO World
Heritage Site, a distinction of “outstanding value to
humanity.”
While
in the park, elephants are protected by the Chadian
government and the EU. However, during the wet season, from
May to October, a large percentage of the population leaves
the park in search of food, and therefore has no protection
from poachers. In addition, the political and social
conflicts in the area continue to challenge conservation
efforts.
WILD has taken a rapid response approach to address the
recent elephant poaching. WILD will work with the Chadian
government and local park rangers to deter and detain
poachers using an anti poaching surveillance aircraft. The
aircraft will run surveillance missions twenty hours per
week, focusing on park boarders and known migration
corridors. This critical action comes at a very strategic
time, both in terms of saving the elephant population in
Chad and bringing international awareness to the issue of
illicit elephant poaching and ivory trading.
 As
this is a program which has arisen due to a crisis
situation, WILD needs help in supporting the “rapid
response” purchase, management and maintenance of the
aircraft surveillance program. We've partnered with the
Wildlife Conservation Society who will now operate a major
field project in the area. The US Fish and Wildlife Service
is helping WILD and WCS to initiate this effort, and the
Disney Conservation Fund and The Tapeats Foundation are
providing additional support.
Please join the team! Your donation will directly support
operation of the surveillance aircraft, routine maintenance
on the aircraft and action, as needed, when poaching sites
are found. The endangered elephants of Zakouma need our help
and we are determined to take action,
please help today >>>
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