Elephant Grabbing Something To Eat - a photo on Flickriver

            Moremi Game Reserve
Okavango Delta
Botswana
Southern Africa

Botswana has the largest elephant population on the continent due to tight protection and civil unrest in neighbouring countries. The relative difficulty in accessing the wildlife areas coupled with the military threat to poachers has allowed the elephant population in Botswana to grow.

The Chobe River front was once only a part of the ancient elephant migration routes but with civil war in Angola and the war of liberation in Namibia the elephants fell victim to mass poaching.
Rival armies were killing elephants for target practice and to sell ivory for weapons. The elephants reacted to this threat by not crossing Chobe River, instead the Chobe then became the dry season refuge for the herds and over the years the numbers built up and the reputation of Chobe grew.

There have been incidents of poaching in Botswana, mainly rhino, but the government decided to set up a military task force in the fight against the scourge. Poachers were ruthlessly dealt with and the task force became a full-time anti-poaching unit.

The end of the war in Namibia, and relative peace having returned to Angola, the elephants have slowly but surely started moving across the Chobe River again. There are many elephants that have not had the experience of the migration routes and still see Chobe as a dry season refuge.

The Linyanti area of Botswana was once a hunting concession but in the past 10 years, with only photographic tourism being offered, the elephants are starting to return en masse to the region and Linyanti today is being touted as equal to Chobe when it comes to elephant experience.

Other areas of Botswana such as the Okavango Delta also see high concentrations of elephant due to the permanent water source.

Taken in: Botswana / North-West / Etsha (show map)

Taken on: December 2, 2013

Tags:

Botswana2013

Moremi Game Reserve

Botswana

Southern Africa

Elephant

Animal

Mammal

Largest Mammal

Herbivore

Largest Elephant Population

Difficulty in Accessing Areas

Military Threat To Poachers

Ancient Elephant Migration

Military Task Force

Anti-Poaching Units

High Concentration In Okavango Delta

Sue Roehl

Photographic Tours

Natural Habitat Adventures

Pentax K-3

Sigma 150-500 mm Lens

Hand held

grass

tree

coth5

NGC « less

Sets appears in: • Botswana 2013 Part 2

Groups appears in: • Nature Photography • Beauty of Nature more » • Animal Planet • Wild About Wildlife • @ Large and Out of Africa • Damn! I Wish I'd Taken That!!! (Invite Only) Post 1-Award2 . • NatureLovers • NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ANIMALS • National Geographic Wild Life • **Platinum Heart Awards** (Only with 8+Heart Awards Invitation!) • **Heart Awards** (P.1 Award 5) Open - Sweeper present • Colors Of The Heart! *Invited Images Only*! • Magnificent Southern African Wildlife • Nature's Carousel - Closed! • Flickr Global (Your Best Photographs). • Animal Central • National Geographic Society • The Galaxy & Stars 1 (P1/C5 - No Spiders, No Snakes) • The Best Wildlife Photography on Planet Earth. • NATURE'S SPIRIT (by invitation) (post 1/award 1) • Arth Wen's Favourite Photographs. • Worldwide Fauna • Photographic Judges • Meilleur de Meilleurs. « less

Stats: 4,480 views / 209 comments

Link to this photo view:
Link to this photo large view: