Support for a Unique Forest Elephant Population in North-West Angola

By ECF

Progress in north-west Angola where our partner, Kissama Foundation, is establishing a conservation presence for a unique population of forest elephants. Very little is known about this small and isolated population – the southernmost forest elephants in Africa, which are in extreme peril due to loss of habitat and human-elephant conflict. Conservation work has previously focused on savanna elephant in the south-east of the country. With help from the Elephant Crisis Fund, Kissama Foundation is deploying tracking collars, camera traps and hiring elephant guardians to monitor and study these elephants.

A seated elephant with five men working to put on a collar.
One of two bull elephants successfully collared in northern Angola in March 2020. ©Isilda Cavaleca / Kissama Foundation.

A black and white image of three elephants walking through grass.
Camera trap image of forest elephants in the project area. ©Kissama Foundation
Forest elephants were recently classified as critically endangered on the IUCN’s red list and as a separate species from savanna elephants. To read more about the new classification, click  here.
 
© Kissama Foundation