Illegal poaching has caused populations of African elephants to plummet. Earth's largest land mammal is doomed to extinction in the wild unless demand for ivory is reduced and poaching is halted.

In an effort to bring more attention to the current elephant poaching crisis, WCS, working with partners Esri published an on-line, interactive Story Map that combines spatial data, excellent cartography, and Web mapping tools to visually tell the story of the elephant poaching crisis. 

Click here to view:  HERE

The story map gives a broad overview of historic and current African elephant ranges, the collapse of forest and savannah elephant populations, and the ivory trade within Africa and extending to Asia and Chinese demand for ivory.  It tells the story of an elephant collared by Save the Elephants named Khadijah that was eventually killed for her ivory as well as the story of the elephant massacre at Dzanga Bai in the Central African Republic. Also included in the story map is an interactive map that highlights recent poaching incidents across Africa with links to additional details about each story.  The page will be kept current with new points added as news emerges regarding more poaching incidents and conservation successes. 

The goal of the story map is to bring this crisis to the attention of the general public and sharing this story is a critical component for reaching this goal, so please pass on this story to others in your personal and professional networks.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact Robert Rose at rrose@wcs.org  To learn more about how WCS is addressing the elephant crisis go to HERE 

Read Also  under the following Link : HERE

♦ The Struggle to Save Elephants from a Devastating Wave of Ivory Poaching –

♦ A Long March Toward Extinction?

♦Triple Threat: Habitat Loss, Conflict, and Roads

♦ "Devastating Decline of Forest Elephants in Central Africa".

♦ Decline of the Forest Elephant

♦ Massacre at Dzanga Bai

♦ Feeding a Burgeoning Demand

♦ Illegal Ivory in the United States

♦ Case Study: The Tragic Tale of Khadijah

♦ How You Can Make a Difference

Image credit: Here