Wildlife Angel
  • HOME
  • The NGO
    • EDITORIAL
    • THREAT OF POACHING
    • THE TEAM
  • OPERATIONS
  • MEDIAS
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT
  • DONATE
  • Français
  • HOME
  • The NGO
    • EDITORIAL
    • THREAT OF POACHING
    • THE TEAM
  • OPERATIONS
  • MEDIAS
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT
  • DONATE
  • Français
2 April 2017 In About the NGO, Poaching, Wildlife

Poached elephant found during our mission in Niger

Eleph-Niger

We were back in the W National park of Niger in Mars after one of the Lion Squad team leaders died of typhoid. But this was not the only tough moments we had to deal with in the Nigerien bush as a male elephant was killed by a poacher, here is what happened.

One day, we received an emergency call announcing that some gunshots were heard close to the Niger river, the target was a bull elephant and he was badly wounded. The Lion Squad was sent on site to report to the curator of the park in order to take further action if necessary. On the road, we met a security manager who was on site : he confirmed that the elephant was shot and hurt, he was lying on the ground and still very agitated. A few minutes afterwards, we arrived on the scene where a security agent told us where the animal was.

 

Rare pictures

We have been travelling in Africa for years now, but we never faced a situation like that before. The discovery of the body was filmed at dusk with an infrared camera. Thanks to this video, you can get a better impression on our demanding job as well as the danger and the emotions we have to overcome.

 

Strict procedure to minimize the risk

As you saw in the short video, we follow some rules to get close to the elephant or any other wild species, especially because this one was wounded and therefore extremely dangerous :

  1.  Approaching without any noise from behind to reduce risks, taking into account the wind direction (test the sense of smell)
  2. Throwing a rock to test if the animal hear something (sense of hearing test)
  3. Getting closer with a team member in back up and pull the animal’s tale (sense of touching test)
  4. Surrounding the animal and making a reaction test by touching the eye of the elephant. Sometimes an animal can simulate death. By touching its eye, he is forced to react if alive.

In this situation, we were too late and the elephant died a few minutes before we arrived. The team has to keep alert until it was 100 % confirmed that the animal is dead. Then, we began the crime scene preservation procedure.

The bullet hole was on top of the bull’s head, meaning that the poacher probably fired his rifle from a tree. Unfortunately, the ivory seekers were already far away when the first members of the Lion Squad arrived on the crime scene.

 

Path to death

This is not the first time we had an encounter with a wounded animal. In Namibia for instance, where our team found a dead rhino. As always, it’s a difficult moment but we have to stay focus because they don’t make a difference between a ranger and a poacher. But it’s part of our duty to get closer and evaluate the state of health of the animal. If there is no chance of recovery, we have to put an end to its suffering. Those of you who already had to bring their favourite pet to the vet for an euthanasia know this kind of emotion.

Facebooklinkedinmail

Related Articles

  • parc-national-etosha-namibie
    What Model for Wildlife Conservation in Africa: private reserve, conservancy, national park?
  • patrouille-parc-w-niger
    A park ranger’s daily life in West Africa

FACEBOOK

SEARCHING

CATEGORIES

  • About the NGO (4)
  • News (3)
  • Poaching (17)
  • Technology (2)
  • Wildlife (24)

ARCHIVES

  • January 2019 (1)
  • December 2018 (2)
  • June 2018 (1)
  • April 2017 (1)
  • January 2017 (2)
  • December 2016 (2)
  • June 2016 (2)
  • April 2016 (3)
  • March 2016 (3)
  • February 2016 (3)
  • January 2016 (5)
  • December 2015 (2)
  • May 2015 (4)

RSS NEWS FROM SOUTHERN AFRICA

  • Kenya: Kenyan Officers Join Regional Training At Ilea Gaborone, to Combat Human Trafficking 18 July 2025
    [Capital FM] Nairobi -- Special Agents from United States Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are training law enforcement officers from Kenya this week to combat trafficking in persons at the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Otse, Botswana.
  • Malawi: Opposition Go to Court Over Electoral Commission's Refusal to Audit Voting System 18 July 2025
    [Nyasa Times] Lawyers representing the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the United Transformation Movement (UTM), and several other stakeholders are today expected to file a lawsuit against the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC).
  • Africa: G20 Finance Chiefs Approach Consensus in South Africa Despite U.S. Tariff Tensions 18 July 2025
    [ENA] Addis Ababa, -- Addisd Ababa, July Finance chiefs of G20 countries expressed optimism for an agreement on a common position on trade and other global challenges on Friday despite U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs which have overshadowed their meeting, according to Reuters.
  • South Africa: Deputy President Mashatile Concludes Working Visit to China 18 July 2025
    [SAnews.gov.za] Deputy President Paul Mashatile has concluded a successful working visit to China aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and economic cooperation between South Africa and China.
  • South Africa: Gauteng Health Hospitals Embark On Surgical Marathons for Mandela Day 18 July 2025
    [SAnews.gov.za] In line with the 2025 Mandela Day theme, the Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) is taking action to restore dignity and improve lives through the third edition of its life-changing surgical marathons.

Copyright 2019 - Wildlife Angel : Plan de site - Mentions légales