500 elephants killed during South Sudan’s civil war

Even though the war only lasted for two years, hundreds of elephants were killed by youths who wanted to make money from ivory

Emilia Hungerford
Thursday 11 February 2016 13:21 EST
Comments
Five tons of ivory worth around $14 million waiting to be burnt in Libreville, Gabon
Five tons of ivory worth around $14 million waiting to be burnt in Libreville, Gabon (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

At least 500 elephants may have been killed during South Sudan’s two-year civil war, according to the African nation’s wildlife service.

In new information provided to Bloomberg, the latest incident involved the killing of 15 elephants in wildlife corridors between northern Unity and Warrap states in late January.

Major-General Philip Chol Majak, South Sudan's wildlife service director-general, said that the killings were done by youths who sought to sell the ivory.

According to Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) estimates indicated that 5,000 elephants were alive in South Sudan in 2007. Today, WCS believe there are no more than 2,500 elephants.

South Sudan has been mired in a brutal civil war since December 2013. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and almost 2 million others have fled their homes.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in