The Zambezi Elephant Fund (ZEF) has bemoaned the decline in the number of elephants in Zimbabwe.
ZEF released a statement last week to mark World Wildlife Day. The Fund was established in 2015 and it seeks to address poaching in the Zambezi Valley. Part of the report reads as follows:
Zimbabwe is home to the world’s second largest population of African Elephant, and yet overall Zimbabwe’s elephant population has declined by 10 per cent since the 2011 Great Elephant Census.
In the Zambezi Valley, African Elephants, amongst other species are under serious threat from poaching and over the past 13 years, 60 per cent of the elephants in the Zambezi Valley have been lost
… We at Zef reaffirm our commitment to working with the local authorities, as well as a collaborative group of implementing partners, to ensure the long-term protection and preservation of the Zambezi Valley, its habitats and its wildlife.
Given their significance — not only as a keystone species to the survival and biodiversity of Africa’s ecosystems but also as a major tourist attraction, it is vital that we as a nation step forward to ensure the protection of these intelligent creatures.