African elephant

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Spotted from space – technology locate elephants. Are poachers next?

It feels like something straight out of “Minority Report” the movie – a computer searches the planet for ‘ grey elephants in green forest’ – and returns a positive result – ‘there’s a herd scattered at ### , ### coordinates’ . Yet it’s very real – and it’s helping to highlight the plight of these magnificent beasts, spread as they are the vast plains of Africa.   “Satellites allow large‐scale surveys to be conducted in short time periods with repeat...

African elephants die mysteriously

More than 350 elephants have died in northern Botswana in a mysterious mass die-off described by scientists as a “conservation disaster”. A cluster of elephant deaths was first reported in the Okavango Delta in early May, with 169 individuals dead by the end of the month. By mid June, the number had more than doubled, with 70% of the deaths clustered around waterholes, according to local sources who wish to remain anonymous. Local witnesses say some elephants were seen walking around in circles, which...