Help to Elephants

NC Zoo head veterinarian Mike Loomis reported Wednesday that 10 new African elephant carcasses were spotted in a fly over of Waza National Park, Cameroon, and he was receiving an urgent call for help to stop poaching.

The NC Zoo Society and a foundation pledging through it will make $15,000 available toward putting a trained anti-poaching team on the ground asap. Up to $10,000 more will be sought from another source.

Waza Park is the most important protected area in the Far North Province of Cameroon. It is widely known for its large population of elephants (about 1100 of Cameroon's remaining 20,000). The ecological health of the Park depends on these animals.

Elephants create grassland by browsing upon, and killing, trees. The resultant fires generate grass growth. Elephants also fertilize both the grasslands and forests during this process.