Aggressive poaching over the years cut the number of elephants living in one of Africa’s largest wildlife preserves from about 12,000 to a little over 3,600 in 2016. But thanks to new conservation strategies, not a single elephant was found killed by poachers this past year in the reserve, which is known as the Niassa. That’s especially incredible considering Niassa is larger than Switzerland in size.
According to Wildlife Conservation Society, the apparent turnaround in the Niassa reserve, which lies in a remote region of northern Mozambique, comes after the introduction of a rapid intervention police force and more assertive patrolling and response by air. It could still take many years for Niassa’s elephant population to rebuild to its former levels, but as anti-poaching strategies become more effective, there is hope that it’s possible.
