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Markus credited his estimates to the surveys of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP).
"The figure ranges from 270,000 to 300,000. There are too many elephants in this country," reported the Leader of the Alliance for Progressives and deputy of Gaborone South Ndaba Gaolathe. Surprisingly, one of the experts in elephant ecology who contributed to the debate on Msgi's hunting ban, Dr. Mike Chase of Elephants Without Borders (ISF), has estimated at 130,000 the number of people who have been summoned to the Parliament of Botswana. 19659002] In 2011, Chase led the first pan-African survey on savanna elephants as part of the Great Elephant Census (GEC) project funded by billionaire philanthropist Paul G. Allen
"The Last Two Elephant Surveys (2010) and 2014) The Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) and Elephants Without Borders (ISF) have revealed an estimate of 130,000 elephants in northern Botswana.With 20 years of data, our population modeling shows that the population Elephants have been stable for 15 years, "said Chase in an article he wrote for Mmegi.
The final results of the Great Elephant Census, published on August 31 in 2014, there was 352,271 African savannah elephants in 18 countries, and they are down 30% in seven years.
Currently, various local and international commentators are contributing to the debate on the ban on hunting in Africa. Elephant only quote figures argument. But they all agree that Botswana has the largest population of African elephants on the continent.
Some commentators say that the 2014 ban on elephant hunting has caused more elephant migration from neighboring countries. So exactly how many elephants have migrated to the country and what is the total population at the moment?
New Survey of Elephants
Coincidentally, the question of numbers comes days after ISF in collaboration with the government by the DWNP The Botswana elephant census air 2018, under the direction of Mike Chase aims to solve the confusion of numbers and help legislators develop management policies based on credible results.
This is by far the investigation of elephants. "Chase, who is the founder of EWB and the first Motswana to receive the doctorate in elephant ecology," said Chase at the ISF conservation ecology research station. at Abu in the Okavango Delta
. is a new technology that could investigate elephants, aerial surveys are the best way to count elephants especially in remote and difficult terrain.
"Aerial surveys provide vital information on their status, seasonal distribution, and abundance, and improve our understanding of wildlife populations, which allows us to base our conservation action on sound scientific understanding and to guide research and development. future monitoring, with a focus on evaluating the effectiveness of management policies, "he said. Chase as senior investigator, Elford Seonyatseng, the senior wildlife custodian with DWNP, Robert Sutcliffe, ISF deputy director and pilot Tammi McAllister
Field researchers
use the EWB brand aircraft Cessna 206. The team spends five hours in fly, from morning until noon, along fixed transects in each particular area.
In the small plane, it's always the boss Chase (he jokingly talks about the plane as torture chamber), McAllist The generous energy (she does not agree with Chase calling her bird's "torture chamber") behind them are observers Seonyatseng and Sutcliffe who call and take photos animals and baobabs that they see within a prescribed distance of their flight.
cameras mounted on either side of the aircraft to take high resolution digital photographs that would be used to check the number of animals seen at those captured in the photos. This photographic interpretation is particularly useful for counting large flocks that are difficult to count from the air
Chase captures all calls from Seonyatseng and Sutcliffe. Even though the survey focuses mainly on elephants, they also collect data on other animals, trees, mainly baobabs and forest fires.
At the end of each day, they get off the plane and go to the ISF ecological research station. , researchers still find the best cooked meal prepared by the chef at Gagoope Tsukotsuko Station
Chase reported that they have started research on the low-density areas expected outside the periphery of the delta of Okavango. They have already studied the residential / arable areas of western and northern Ngamiland outside protected areas and wildlife management.
Alarming Discoveries
During the first two weeks of the study, researchers discovered an alarming number of poached elephants. "In the first 10 days, we found 51 fresh carcbades of poached elephants," said Chase
. He added that the number of carcbades found in two weeks was already approaching the number of half-carcbades north of Botswana
Many of these elephants killed with missing tusks were found in areas called NG11 and NG12 north of Botswana. delta of Okavango. It is mainly a quiet area between the border with Namibia and the villages along the Okavango spillway from Seronga to Gudigwa.
In all of their discoveries, Chase still informs the respective authorities as the anti-poaching wing of the BDF
is expected to end in October this year, where they would then start work on the data that's going on. they collected. "We would then submit our results to a peer review with other biologists and partners working on elephant ecology.We can not divulge our findings without going through peer review, As the elephant population is a controversial topic right now, we need to make sure that the results pbad any scientific review before being made public, "Chase said. The results should be published early next year after intensive data badysis
So the question of big numbers and the debate on the exact number of elephants here in Botswana will only be settled early 2019, I hope so. ] (function (d, s, id) {
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