Rare Elephant Breed Discovered: Forest Elephants Spotted In South Sudan
A rare breed of elephants have been spotted in South Sudan. Forest elephants have long held a spot on the critically endangered list. Researchers were recently pleasantly surprised by the sight and were able to capture the first photos of the rare elephant breed walking through a remote forest in Africa.
Forest elephants are threatened not just by internal violent conflicts in Sudan, but by illegal ivory hunters, as well. The endangered elephants were photographed by wildlife cameras attached to trees deep inside the forest area of the Western Equatoria state. The forest is one of the few areas left relatively untouched by war, civilization, loggers, and hunters. The forest is located in the Central African Republic near Congo, the Smithsonian reports.
The population of forest elephants decreased by approximately 60 percent in recent years. The cousins to the larger savannah elephants also suffered due to a 30 percent loss of ranging area in the western and central regions of Africa.
Here’s the first photographic evidence that rare forest elephants live in South Sudan https://t.co/xgbGncZYsg pic.twitter.com/UdWNoJk5F1
— BBC Africa (@BBCAfrica) December 11, 2015
Forest elephants make it difficult for researchers to count and for conservation experts to aid, due to their preference for inhabiting dense regions of the rainforest and remote regions of the continent, World Wildlife Fund notes. Unlike savannah elephants, this rare breed of African elephant has oval-shaped ears and tusk which point downward and are formed in a straight and not cured shape.
The endangered elephants are reportedly most often found roaming in herds or family groups, in Liberia, Gabon, Ghana, Congo, Cameroon, and remote areas of central Africa. Forest elephants typically weigh up to six tons and can have a lifespan of between 60 to 70 years – if not caught and killed for their ivory tusks.
“This is by far the most northerly herd of forest elephants that anyone has seen in Africa,” Fauna & Florea International co-leader Adrian Garside, said during an interview with the Associated Press. “We are proving that there are expanses of habitat that is sort of pristine and unexplored, which is a very hopeful sign.”
Forest elephants found in South Sudan
The wildlife cameras set up in anticipation of verifying the location and number of forest elephants in the region cover approximately a 3,000 square mile area. The cameras also provided up-close images of red river hogs, the African golden cat, small deer known as water chervotains, and a massive pangolina. The photographs also provided the first proof that any of the noted animals were living in the South Sudan region.
War-Torn South Sudan’s ‘Forgotten Forests’ Are Home to Rare #Elephants https://t.co/yr8UEqqxLR pic.twitter.com/qiazVd7iiF
— Global Elephants (@GlobalElephants) December 10, 2015
During the six months the cameras were in place, they recorded about 20,000 images of native wildlife. Scientists at the African Wildlife Foundation believe that the lack of knowledge and understanding of the forest elephants is the chief barrier to protecting the massive creatures. Researchers are reportedly only beginning to understand the migration movements and habits of the forest elephants.
The ongoing hostilities in the South Sudan have reportedly led to more forest elephants being killed for both their ivory tusks and their meat. DeeAnn Reeder, a biology professor at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, said that illegal logging in Western Equatoria has caused a great loss of habitat for the endangered elephants.
The Wildlife Conservation Society reports that elephants in the South Sudan were outfitted with tracking collars before intense fighting among rebel forces began raging in the region about two years ago. Today, the conservation group reports that more than 50 percent of the tagged elephants have been killed.
[Images via Shutterstock]
