The Great Elephant Census, funded by Microsoft billionaire Paul G. Allen, began in February 2014 and is beginning to deliver results. Ninety researchers from various organizations have joined aerial teams flying survey transects in 18 elephant range countries. Preliminary results reveal both good and bad news for African elephants. One of the most shocking discoveries is a 53 percent free fall in elephant numbers in Tanzania—from an estimated 109,000 animals in 2009 to 51,000 in 2015. For the past decade Tanzania has been the main source of illegal elephant ivory shipped out of East Africa. On the positive side: Botswana’s elephant population has remained stable, with an estimated 129,939 recorded in 2014 (similar to 2013). Uganda showed a surprising uptick, from fewer than 1,000 elephants during the 1970s and 1980s, when poaching was rampant, to an estimated 5,000 today.
Counting elephants: The largest wildlife census ever conducted
More of Today's Solutions
Elevate your tea experience: 5 innovative ways to improve your daily brew
While the classic simplicity of tea is always comforting, there's a world of flavors waiting to be explored. If you want to add some ...
Read MoreTransforming Tylenol: a sustainable path without coal tar or crude oil
Paracetamol, the omnipresent pain reliever found in countless households worldwide, may soon radically adjust its manufacturing method. For more than a century, this medicine, ...
Read MoreSuccessful gene-hacked pig kidney transplant shows promise in xenotransplanta...
A team at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston performed a breakthrough surgical accomplishment, transplanting a kidney from a gene-hacked pig into a 62-year-old man. ...
Read MoreUSDA implements new school meal standards to reduce added sugars
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced significant changes to school meal laws, including the first time added sugars will be banned on ...
Read More
