Unfortunately, it seems that the elephant species is on the verge of extinction, and some scientists even believe that the large animals could disappear in our lifetimes. A critical point for the elephant population has already been reached, and because of increasing ivory trades, elephants are a huge target for hunters and poachers.
Tragically, a beloved bull elephant with remarkably big tusks was a victim of a Russian trophy hunter.
To make it even worse, the elephant in Zimbabwe was extremely rare because of his gigantic tusks. The elephant was already noticed by scientists, and they provided him with a radio collar so that they could keep track of him, do some research, and protect him.
Unfortunately, the collar wasn’t able to do the last.
The elephant lived close to Gonarezhou in Zimbabwe, which has a reputation for being the ‘place of the elephant’. Many animals still roam here and there is a National Park, but this particular one wasn’t so lucky.
It’s unknown how many times the hunter has shot the precious animal, although we do know that it didn’t survive.
It’s also still somewhat unclear at the moment if the Russian hunter was aware that this animal was outfitted with a radio collar, as there’s a type of ethical code amongst the hunters in the neighborhood in regards to these collars.
Yet, the Zimbwabe Professional Hunters and Guides Association states that the incident was “genuine mistake” and the hunter or the hunter organizations weren’t decently informed.
“There is no law that protects a collared animal from being hunted in Zimbabwe,” was released in a statement provided by the Frankfurt Zoological Society. “But there is general acceptance that the ethical position is that a hunter will avoid shooting an animal with a collar.”
For a trophy hunter, the objective is to shoot and kill the most impressive animals for bragging rights.
It’s useless violence and it’s just helping poachers and ivory trading. Elephants are also at a higher risk due to increasingly less habitat becoming available to them.
The death of this big tusk elephant will have a remarkable impact on nature, as scientists estimate that there may only be around 25 left of his species.
Furthermore, the future gene pool will be less diverse and strong because of this loss.
“In trophy hunts, the elephants sought out are large males with big tusks as these make for the more ‘impressive’ kill,” the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT) animal organization said to The Dodo.
“However, these older males are in fact the primary breeders and their size and age is in itself an indicator of their genetic health. Taking out these males removes this strong gene pool from wild populations, compromising the next generation of a species already in worrying decline.”
“Considering all we know about elephants, their sentience, their family structures and emotional capacity, trophy hunting is utterly unjustifiable and belongs in the past,” the spokesperson for the DSWT added.
“For this elephant, his collar should have afforded him a safety net. Now, however, we’ll no longer be able to learn from this bull whose life was spent for the thrill of a kill.”
It’s tragic that these hunters fail to see the value of the lives of these elephants, and trophy hunting should be a thing of the past before it’s too late.
They’re knowingly putting already threatened animal species at a critical breaking point.
A recent report by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora stated that while poaching in African areas has decreased, illegal ivory processing and trades are on the rise and hit an all-time record less than two years ago.
Although as many measures against illegal hunting and poaching are being taken, it’s mainly a game of cat-and-mouse and new human threats constantly keep popping up.
“The global collective effort that is underway is starting to reap positive results, but we are certainly not there yet. We must persist and drive home the advantage we have while the political momentum is with us and the financial and technical support that goes with it.”
“And while the African elephant is seeing some gains it is not across all regions, with some local populations still under serious threat, and other species are now being increasingly targeted by transnational criminals, especially high-value timber,” the report says.
The Russian hunter later posted a photograph of him posing next to the killed animal.
“Human greed continues to outweigh the value of life,” CEO of the Global Sanctuary for Elephants organization Scott Blaise said. “There are few elephants of this iconic status who remain; as trophy hunters take them out one by one, elephants, as we know them, may be forever changed.”
Source: The Dodo, FZS, GSE, ZPHGA, DSWT, The Guardian, HowAfrica, Cites
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