Elephants Stray toward Trouble

A major finding the article "Monitoring radio-collared forest elephants", co-authored by NC Zoo veterinarian Dr. Mike Loomis and WWF-Cameroon experts, including the recently-injured Dr. Martin Tchamba (attacked by one of the elephants he works to help), is:

"the elephants spend at least 80% of their time in buffer forest areas such as logging concessions and professional sport hunting zones. Effective protection of elephant populations will therefore require combined efforts of law enforcement inside and beyond national parks and the active collaboration of logging companies and professional hunting companies operating in surrounding areas. Park authorities are now planning their anti-poaching operations accordingly."

These important NC Zoo/NC Zoo Society/WWF/Cameroon studies have shown that these elephants reside within the protected (national park) areas much less than many had thought.