African Parks Turn To Private Management To Protect Wildlife

ZAKOUMA, CHAD, MARCH 2019: Newly qualifed Mamba teams conservation rangers and small teams rangers are seen at their graduation ceremony in Zakouma National Park. The Park is a 1,158-square-mile national park in southeastern Chad's Salamat Region. Zakouma is the nation's oldest national park, declared a national park in 1963 by presidential decree, giving it the highest form of protection available under the nation's laws. It has been managed by the nonprofit conservation organization African Parks since 2010 in partnership with Chad's government. Zakouma had more than 4,000 elephants in 2002, but fewer than 900 in 2005, and approximately 400–450 by 2010. Thanks for effective anti-poaching techniques by Africa Parks management, elephant numbers are recovering, there are a large number of new births in the herd and the elephants are dispersing rather than staying together all the time for protection. Zakouma is Chad's oldest national park, established by the nation's government in 1963. It’s wildlife have been threatened by the ivory trade and poaching, including by Sudanese Janjaweed members. In 2007, militia forces attacked the park's headquarters for its stockpile of 1.5 tons of ivory and killed three rangers. The government of Chad began working with African Parks in 2010 to help manage and protect the park and its wildlife, especially elephants. The park's anti-poaching strategy includes equipping rangers with military style training and weapons, GPS tracking units and radios to improve communications, mobility, and safety, as well as improving mobility through the use of four by fours, horses and air support. Local communities have also been recruited to supply intelligence on any groups moving into the area. Elephant matriarchs are collared and their groups are followed 24/7. There are always rangers within proximity of the herd. The European Union pledged €6.9m in 2011 to help protect the park for five years. Elephant protection efforts expanded outside the p