Researchers Find New Way to Count Gabon Forest Elephants
2021-11-29
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1Some African elephants live in grassy open areas called savannas.
2Scientists can easily count the number of savanna elephants from an airplane because there are very few trees.
3But other African elephants live in dense forests.
4Forest elephants are shy and especially hard to find.
5The Central African country of Gabon is home to two-thirds of all African forest elephants.
6The forests in Gabon are extremely dense.
7That makes it hard to know exactly how many forest elephants there are.
8But scientists have found a new way to count them.
9They use evidence that the animals leave behind.
10In other words, they look for elephant waste.
11Researchers collected waste samples over a period of three years.
12The researchers walked about 12 kilometers each day.
13They looked for waste as well as other signs of elephants, including footprints and broken trees.
14They tested the waste samples for DNA.
15They learned that in Gabon, there are about 95,000 forest elephants.
16Earlier estimates were much lower, at 50,000 to 60,000.
17Even with the new information,
18the International Union for Conservation of Nature believes the population of forest elephants in Central Africa has dropped sharply.
19It estimates the numbers have decreased by 86 percent in the last 31 years.
20Forest elephants are threatened by land clearing and by hunters.
21The researchers who worked on the new elephant count said the animals live throughout Gabon, covering 90 percent of the total surface area.
22Almost 90 percent of the country is covered in forest.
23Emma Stokes is the area director for the Wildlife Conservation Society.
24She said Gabon is "very unique," or special, because elephants can be found in so much of the country.
25During their counting efforts, the researchers looked for fresh waste.
26Sometimes, they would find elephant waste that was too old to be used as evidence.
27When they found a sample, they put it in a small glass container.
28They sent the containers to a laboratory in Libreville, Gabon's capital.
29Scientists looked at about 2,500 samples.
30The samples had to be processed first to remove impurities or organisms that could affect results.
31Stephanie Bourgeois was one of the writers of a published study about the elephant count.
32She said the DNA helped the scientists estimate how many different elephants lived in the area that the samples came from.
33It is the first elephant count in Gabon in 30 years.
34The last count only looked at 14 percent of the area in which elephants live.
35John Poulsen is an ecologist at Duke University in the state of North Carolina.
36He was not involved in the elephant research.
37He said the results of the count are "exciting"
38because the population estimate rose and because researchers proved a new way of counting elephants can work.
39A similar method is being used for tigers in India.
40Poulsen added, however, that Gabon's government now has a greater responsibility to keep the forest elephants safe.
41Lee White is Gabon's minister of water and forests.
42He said 65 to 70 percent of all African forest elephants live in Gabon.
43He called it a "tragedy" that other Central African countries have not been able to save their elephants.
44He noted that the nations that have not been able to keep their elephants safe have suffered civil wars.
45At the recent United Nations climate change meeting held in Scotland,
46White said Gabon still has problems ahead.
47He believes climate change has reduced the amount of fruit available in the country's forests.
48Because of this, the elephants are seeking out food from farms.
49This creates a conflict between people and elephants.
50About 10 people die each year from such conflicts.
51"It looks like climate change is starting to impact the forest," White said.
52"And that means the elephants are hungry."
53I'm Dan Friedell.
1Some African elephants live in grassy open areas called savannas. Scientists can easily count the number of savanna elephants from an airplane because there are very few trees. 2But other African elephants live in dense forests. Forest elephants are shy and especially hard to find. 3The Central African country of Gabon is home to two-thirds of all African forest elephants. The forests in Gabon are extremely dense. That makes it hard to know exactly how many forest elephants there are. 4But scientists have found a new way to count them. They use evidence that the animals leave behind. In other words, they look for elephant waste. 5Researchers collected waste samples over a period of three years. The researchers walked about 12 kilometers each day. They looked for waste as well as other signs of elephants, including footprints and broken trees. They tested the waste samples for DNA. 6They learned that in Gabon, there are about 95,000 forest elephants. Earlier estimates were much lower, at 50,000 to 60,000. 7Even with the new information, the International Union for Conservation of Nature believes the population of forest elephants in Central Africa has dropped sharply. It estimates the numbers have decreased by 86 percent in the last 31 years. Forest elephants are threatened by land clearing and by hunters. 8The researchers who worked on the new elephant count said the animals live throughout Gabon, covering 90 percent of the total surface area. 9Almost 90 percent of the country is covered in forest. 10Emma Stokes is the area director for the Wildlife Conservation Society. She said Gabon is "very unique," or special, because elephants can be found in so much of the country. 11During their counting efforts, the researchers looked for fresh waste. Sometimes, they would find elephant waste that was too old to be used as evidence. 12When they found a sample, they put it in a small glass container. They sent the containers to a laboratory in Libreville, Gabon's capital. Scientists looked at about 2,500 samples. 13The samples had to be processed first to remove impurities or organisms that could affect results. 14Stephanie Bourgeois was one of the writers of a published study about the elephant count. She said the DNA helped the scientists estimate how many different elephants lived in the area that the samples came from. 15It is the first elephant count in Gabon in 30 years. The last count only looked at 14 percent of the area in which elephants live. 16John Poulsen is an ecologist at Duke University in the state of North Carolina. He was not involved in the elephant research. He said the results of the count are "exciting" because the population estimate rose and because researchers proved a new way of counting elephants can work. 17A similar method is being used for tigers in India. 18Poulsen added, however, that Gabon's government now has a greater responsibility to keep the forest elephants safe. 19Lee White is Gabon's minister of water and forests. He said 65 to 70 percent of all African forest elephants live in Gabon. He called it a "tragedy" that other Central African countries have not been able to save their elephants. 20He noted that the nations that have not been able to keep their elephants safe have suffered civil wars. 21At the recent United Nations climate change meeting held in Scotland, White said Gabon still has problems ahead. He believes climate change has reduced the amount of fruit available in the country's forests. Because of this, the elephants are seeking out food from farms. This creates a conflict between people and elephants. About 10 people die each year from such conflicts. 22"It looks like climate change is starting to impact the forest," White said. "And that means the elephants are hungry." 23I'm Dan Friedell. 24Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by The Associated Press. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 25Are you pleased to hear the elephants are doing well? What would you do to keep them healthy? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 26__________________________________________________ 27Words in This Story 28footprint - n. a track or mark left by a foot or shoe 29DNA - n. a substance that carries genetic information in the cells of plants and animals - often used before another noun 30tragedy - n. a very sad, unfortunate, or upsetting situation : something that causes strong feelings of sadness or regret 31exciting - adj. causing feelings of interest and enthusiasm