South African journalist Adam Cruise is co-author of this article.
Trophy hunters reportedly killed three elephants in northern Tanzania between September 2023 and February this year. The events have caused alarm as the elephants are believed to have been members of a cross-border group that inhabits Kenya and Tanzania – known as the Amboseli elephants – whose targeting has apparently been off the table for decades.
The governor of Kenya’s Kajiado County, which is on course to take over management of the Amboseli National Park, expressed concern over the developments on 29 March. In a statement, H.E. Joseph Ole Lenku urged the government and pertinent institutions to “swiftly take action to halt the continued devastation of these iconic African giants.” He also called on relevant parties in Tanzania to consider the “long-term implications of such actions and to join us in preserving our shared natural heritage for future generations.”
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Featured image via Ray in Manila / Flickr, licensed under CC BY 2.0 DEED