A combination of old age, genetic pooling, and prolonged protection from poaching has created a population of bull elephants with enormous tusks, weighing up to 45kg apiece, large enough to scrape along the ground as the animals walk. To many, the bulls are "living icons" of the African savannah. They are also highly prized by trophy hunters.
Now, a series of super-tusker killings has sparked a bitter international battle over trophy hunting and its controversial, sometimes counterintuitive role in conservation. Some conservationists believe the killing should not be allowed. Others say controlled, regulated hunting can actually contribute to elephants' long-term survival by providing jobs for local people and incentives for habitats to be preserved.
The conflict began brewing last year, when the Tanzanian government ended a 30-year informal agreement with Kenya by allowing hunters to legally shoot at least two out of the 10 remaining super tuskers. The herd is a crossborder population that migrates between Kenya (where trophy hunting is banned) and Tanzania, where wildlife laws allow for trophy hunting on auctioned wildlife-rich blocks, for foreign hunters who can afford a premium safari package. "The targeted elephants were among the largest, oldest bulls," a group of conservationists wrote in a letter decrying their loss that was published in the journal Science in June. They represented "one of the last gene pools for enormous ivory and the source of the largest tusks ever collected".
Esta historia es de la edición July 06, 2024 de The Guardian.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición July 06, 2024 de The Guardian.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Campbell says she failed in her charity duties but denies any personal gain
Naomi Campbell has admitted she failed in her duties as a trustee at the Fashion for Relief charity she founded - but insisted she never engaged in financial misconduct or used the charity for personal gain during its chaotic nine-year existence.
Freedom of speech? Argentina's leader 'lifted' lines straight from the West Wing
Argentina's rightwing populist president, Javier Milei, has been accused of plagiarising a chunk of his recent speech to the UN general assembly from the political drama The West Wing.
You can't beat a bit of Freddie: Flintoff to host Bullseye revival
Andrew Flintoff is to relaunch his television hosting career by fronting a one-off Christmas special of the gameshow Bullseye.
Cabinet set for split on assisted dying vote as Miliband backs the bill
MPs backing a new bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales hope to secure a Commons vote by Christmas, but cabinet ministers are set for a big split over support for the legislation.
Police 'took bribes to help AI Fayed persecute staff'
Scotland Yard is facing claims that corrupt police officers helped Mohamed AI Fayed in persecuting members of his staff, including a young woman who allegedly rebuffed the Harrods owner's sexual advances.
Dewsbury-Hall delivers as Gent hit by goal rush
With every result, Enzo Maresca is making Chelsea believe again.
'My home record is bloody good so it's hard to match that'
Chris Woakes is ready for the challenge of leading England's Test attack in Pakistan and justifying Brendon McCullum's faith in his ability overseas
Brewer to reduce emissions by making beer using heat pump
An independent brewery in West Sussex is poised to become the first in Britain to make its beer using an ultra-high-temperature heat pump in place of an oil boiler.
Carmakers complain of pressure to hit EV targets despite record sales in September
UK electric car sales hit a record high in September, even as bosses from major carmakers told the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, that government targets were putting too much pressure on the industry.
Bank of England monitoring crisis in the Middle East 'extremely closely'
The Bank of England is monitoring the Middle East crisis amid fears that a worsening conflict between Iran and Israel will make it impossible to stabilise oil prices and leave the global economy vulnerable to a 1970s-style energy shock.