Elephants may become extinct in 100 years in Africa

One of the symbols of Africa, elephants may disappear from the continent in one hundred years if nothing is done to stop the slaughter of these animals, affirmed American scientists.

Um dos símbolos da África, os elefantes podem desaparecer do continente em cem anos se nada for feito para frear a matança desses animais, afirmaram cientistas americanos.

This article was translated from Portuguese. Click here to read the original from BBC Brasil.

According to them, the number of elephant deaths currently surpasses the number of births, causing an imbalance that can bring the species to extinction.

Only last year, the specialists estimate that, since 2010, 35 thousand elephants have been killed each year by hunters in Africa.

The study, conducted by scientists from the Colorado State University, was published in the scientific publication, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

According to the author of the research, George Wittemyer, "we are exterminating entire populations of elephants in the continent."

Irreparable Loss

The illegal sale of elephant tusks would be one of the factors behind the increased number of death of these animals, scholars believe.

According to them, the traffic of this type of product increased exponentially in the last years and a kilo of ivory today could be worth thousands of dollars. Much of the demand is coming from a growing market in Asia.

While environmentalists always said that the outlook was bleak, the study provides a detailed assessment of the impact of this business on the population of African elephants.

The researchers discovered, for example, that between 2010 and 2013, the number of these animals fell to an annual average of 7% in the continent.

As the elephants grow at an annual rate of 5%, the outcome is that more animals die than are born.

Julian Blanv, of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), who also participated in the study, affirmed: "If this situation remains, we are going to see significant reductions in the population of these animals in the coming years."

"Another thing to keep in mind is that different areas also are affected in another form."

"There still are populations of elephants growing in size in parts of Africa, like Botswana. But in other places, the rate of animals killed by hunters is extremely high. This is the case, for example, in Central Africa."

In the region, the estimate is that the number of elephants fell close to 60% in the last decade.

For Wittemyer, "we are talking about annihilation of the largest and oldest of the elephants."

"This signifies the destruction of the primary male breeders and of the matriarchs and mothers of entire families. This leaves behind many young elephant orphans and shattered clans."

Environmentalists advocate urgent methods against the slaughter of elephants.

For John Scanlon, Secretary General of CITES, "The world needs to decide how much effort it wants to put into the preservation of this magnificent species and if it is prepared to mobilize the human and financial resources necessary for this."

"In concrete terms, we need to concentrate on the frontlines and confront all the links in the chain of the illegal sale of ivory – improving the methods of local livelihoods (for those that cohabit with elephants), strengthen the execution of laws and governance, and reduce the demand for illegal ivory."

This article was translated by Erica Kliment, Staff Intern with the Brazil Institute at the Wilson Center.