Breaking News

Tanzania takes historic step to save dwindling elephant population

By Chris Giles, CNN

Updated 9:40 AM ET, Wed April 11, 2018

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.

GPS collars are fitted to elephants in the Mikumi National Park, which is opposite to Selous Game Reserve, where they can move freely between.
Photos: Protecting elephants in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania
Tanzania's elephants – GPS collars are fitted to elephants in the Mikumi National Park, which is opposite to Selous Game Reserve, where they can move freely between.
Hide Caption
1 of 19
The collaring team attaches a GPS collar to an immobilized elephant.
Photos: Protecting elephants in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania
Tanzania's elephants – The collaring team attaches a GPS collar to an immobilized elephant.
Hide Caption
2 of 19
A vet extracts blood from an immobilized elephant for DNA analysis during the collaring process.
Photos: Protecting elephants in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania
Tanzania's elephants – A vet extracts blood from an immobilized elephant for DNA analysis during the collaring process.
Hide Caption
3 of 19
An elephant herd in Mikumi National Park, Tanzania.
Photos: Protecting elephants in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania
Tanzania's elephants – An elephant herd in Mikumi National Park, Tanzania.
Hide Caption
4 of 19
A village Game Scout (pointing) carries the GPS collar to be fitted to the elephant and the vet to the right carried the loaded darting rifle.
Photos: Protecting elephants in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania
Tanzania's elephants – A village Game Scout (pointing) carries the GPS collar to be fitted to the elephant and the vet to the right carried the loaded darting rifle.
Hide Caption
5 of 19
The elephant collaring team tracks an elephant on village land next to Mikumi National Park, Tanzania.
Photos: Protecting elephants in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania
Tanzania's elephants – The elephant collaring team tracks an elephant on village land next to Mikumi National Park, Tanzania.
Hide Caption
6 of 19
The elephant collaring ground team drive to another elephant herd along a dirt road in Mikumi National Park, Tanzania.
Photos: Protecting elephants in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania
Tanzania's elephants – The elephant collaring ground team drive to another elephant herd along a dirt road in Mikumi National Park, Tanzania.
Hide Caption
7 of 19
The landscape in Mikumi National Park, Tanzania.
Photos: Protecting elephants in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania
Tanzania's elephants – The landscape in Mikumi National Park, Tanzania.
Hide Caption
8 of 19
A vet darts an elephant form a vehicle.
Photos: Protecting elephants in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania
Tanzania's elephants – A vet darts an elephant form a vehicle.
Hide Caption
9 of 19
The spectacular landscape of Tanzania.
Photos: Protecting elephants in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania
Tanzania's elephants – The spectacular landscape of Tanzania.
Hide Caption
10 of 19
Detail of the from feet of an immobilized elephant during the collaring process.
Photos: Protecting elephants in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania
Tanzania's elephants – Detail of the from feet of an immobilized elephant during the collaring process.
Hide Caption
11 of 19
An elephant rises having been collared.
Photos: Protecting elephants in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania
Tanzania's elephants – An elephant rises having been collared.
Hide Caption
12 of 19
The ground crew attaches a GPS collar to a female elephant (20 years old).
Photos: Protecting elephants in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania
Tanzania's elephants – The ground crew attaches a GPS collar to a female elephant (20 years old).
Hide Caption
13 of 19
The ground crew travels in vehicles to reach an elephant herd in Mikumi National Park, Tanzania.
Photos: Protecting elephants in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania
Tanzania's elephants – The ground crew travels in vehicles to reach an elephant herd in Mikumi National Park, Tanzania.
Hide Caption
14 of 19
A ranger cutting of the protruding bolts on the collar once it has been fitted. Asukile Kajuni from WWF-Tanzania keeps the elephant cool by spraying its ear with water.
Photos: Protecting elephants in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania
Tanzania's elephants – A ranger cutting of the protruding bolts on the collar once it has been fitted. Asukile Kajuni from WWF-Tanzania keeps the elephant cool by spraying its ear with water.
Hide Caption
15 of 19
The completed data sheet for a collared elephant along with a sample of its hair for DNA analysis. The writing on the bag give the collar number, location, date and Park name.
Photos: Protecting elephants in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania
Tanzania's elephants – The completed data sheet for a collared elephant along with a sample of its hair for DNA analysis. The writing on the bag give the collar number, location, date and Park name.
Hide Caption
16 of 19
After being collared and revived an elephant makes its way back to its herd.
Photos: Protecting elephants in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania
Tanzania's elephants – After being collared and revived an elephant makes its way back to its herd.
Hide Caption
17 of 19
A herd of elephants in Mikumi National Park, Tanzania.
Photos: Protecting elephants in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania
Tanzania's elephants – A herd of elephants in Mikumi National Park, Tanzania.
Hide Caption
18 of 19
A spotter plane supporting the elephant collaring effort.
Photos: Protecting elephants in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania
Tanzania's elephants – A spotter plane supporting the elephant collaring effort.
Hide Caption
19 of 19
elephant tanzania 9elephant tanzania 3elephants tanzania 7elephants 5elephant tanzania 10elephant tanzania 11elephant tanzania 1elephant 2elephants tanzania 4elephants tanzania elephants tanzania 8elephant tanzania 16elephant tanzania 12elephant tanzania 13elephant tanzania 14elephant tanzania 15elephant tanzania 17elephant tanzania 18elephant tanzania 19

Story highlights

  • 90% of elephants lost in 40 years
  • Project plans to collar 60 elephants

(CNN)Protecting elephants from poachers in a reserve larger than Switzerland is no simple task.

In Tanzania's Selous Game Reserve the population has been under threat for decades, and numbers are dwindling. Almost 90% of the park's elephants have been lost over the past 40 years.
"Tanzania has been extremely hard hit by the latest elephant poaching crisis that has hit the African continent for 10 years," Bas Huijbregts, WWF's African species manager, told CNN.
    In an effort to get a grip on the situation, a new project launched by the Tanzanian government, with support from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), is the country's largest ever elephant collaring effort to protect the rapidly declining population.
    "It's our team on the ground that has been working with the government teams to put those collars on," Huijbregts said.
    Read More

    Guarding elephants

    A herd of elephants in Mikumi National Park, Tanzania.
    A herd of elephants in Mikumi National Park, Tanzania.
    The project will span 12 months and around 60 elephants are expected to be tagged.
    The aim is to enhance the ability of the park's rangers to protect the elephants, and in turn help rebuild the population.
    The rangers will be able to track and identify Selous' elephants, and respond in real-time when they are under threat. Satellite collaring is an established method of tracking wildlife and bolstering efforts to save species under threat, especially in such large areas.
    "You can't just protect by the physical presence of rangers," Huijbregts said.
    The majority of poaching of elephants is for ivory. The situation has got so perilous for the park's elephants, in response, in 2014, UNESCO placed Selous on its List of World Heritage in Danger.
    In 40 years elephant numbers have plummeted from 110,000 to 15,200.
    Collaring an elephant takes around 30 minutes. The animals are sedated and then collared. During this time, a team will also collect health data about the elephant.
    Selous Game Reserve also hopes to boost the numbers of tourists. It's a relatively underserved park compared to reserves in the north of the country.
    "It's an important economic driver for southern Tanzania," Huijbregts said. "There's a huge tourism potential."