Africa – WILDLIFE RESEARCH & CONSERVATION

Botswana’s Mass Elephant Die-Off

January 28th, 2023tinalc0 Comments

“In March 2020, at the beginning of a global pandemic, elephant carcasses were found in the Ngamiland district of northern Botswana. Within three months from the initial report, helicopter-based surveys counted a total of 350 dead elephants. Carcasses of males and females were found by themselves with 70% near water. In some cases, it was as though the animal was walking and just collapsed. Locals would state that some elephants were observed walking in circles with extremely low body condition before death. Due to Covid-related travel restrictions, carcasses were not thoroughly examined, and tissue samples not collected; thus, a causative …

South Africa: I’m Finally Here

November 2nd, 2019tinalc0 Comments

At 08:03 local time, the plane touched down in Johannesburg. Although the last flight was a whopping 15-hours total air time, the South African Airlines flight crew did an amazing job making sure we were as comfortable as possible. After a trip through customs to get my passport stamped, and several laps around terminals A and B, I found my shuttle and was off for the 7-hour land trek to Skukuza Rest Camp in Kruger National Park. The only hiccup being I was the only one without cellphone service. Having prepared a week in advance, I had added the AT&T …

What an Endangered Species listing in the US means for African Lions

December 22nd, 2015tinalc0 Comments

2015 has seen a media frenzy centered on the African lion, mostly for the wrong reasons. Headlines condemning the illegal killing of a research lion, Cecil, started a global conversation on the lion hunting industry. A recent documentary, Blood Lions, solidified the fact that this type of exploitation is a contributing factor to the demise of this magnificent species. For years wildlife conservation groups have called for the increase in protection for the African lion to no avail.According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), there are only ~23,000 lions representing five subspecies still found in Africa. That …