WWF Tanzania Country OfficePlot 350, Regent Estate MikocheniP.O. Box 63117 Dar es Salaa, !an"ania!el. #$55 % $$ & $7753'6($77$'55($700077)ax* #$55 % $$ % $775535Mail* in+o,--+t".org.e/* http://www.panda.orgMedia Release 2015-08-12World Elephant Day: Conserve and protect the Elephant from the numerousthreats it facesThe world is presently witnessing brutality &annihilation of one of the mostcharismaticmammalsonearth, theAfricanElephant at ashockingrateinhumanhistory. Poaching, habitat loss and other cruelty are alarming. Tanania being atreasureof elephants inAfricahas recentlyre!ealedits catastrophe. Therecentelephant census conducted in the main elephant ecosystems for se!en monthsconsecuti!ely from "ay to #o!ember $%&', indicates a signi(cant decline of currentelephant population in Tanania from $%%) to $%&' sur!ey by *%+. At independence in&)*&therewere,-%,%%%elephantsandin$%%)were&&%,%%%andby$%&'thenumber dwindled to about ',,-$&.

.The increase in elephant poaching is highly linked to an increase of i!ory prices andillegal markets inthe /arEast and 0outh EastAsia10ays2r. Amani #gusaru,33/Tanania 4ountry 2irector on marking the 3orld Elephant 2ay, &$th August $%&-, in2ar es 0alaam. Elephant poaching and tra5cking of wildlife has increased dramaticallyin recent years, threatening the three pillars of life on earth: 6 sustainablede!elopment, peace and human rights. 7t is now more urgent and important to come up with inter!entions that address theroot causes of elephant poaching through more and impro!ed internationalcooperationinsource, transit andconsumer countriesas well as toidentifyandaddress any gaps in the current anti6poaching strategies for better protection of wildelephants. Thereisalsoaneedfor impro!ingenforcement policiestopre!enttheillegal poaching and trade of i!ory, conser!ing elephant habitats, better treatment forcapti!e elephants and when appropriate, reintroducing capti!e elephants into naturaland protected sanctuaries. These are the goals that elephant conser!ationorganiations are focusing on around the world.2uetopoachingbetween&)8%sand&)9%s, theelephant populationinTananiadeclined to --,%%% but then the international ban of sale of i!ory and other elephantproductstogether withhighlye:ecti!eanti6poachingoperationsthrough;perationo!ernment of Tananiae:ortsandcontributetocombatingpoaching at the grass root le!el while working with local communities in implementinggo!ernmentinclusi!emanagementpolicies. Therele!antpolicyapproachesinclude4ommunity?ased#atural @esources "anagement AB4?#@"C throughthe3ildlife"anagement Areas B3"AC, community based forest management B4?/"C,participatory forest management BP/"C and Doint forest management BE/"C. 7n someareas, e!en ?each "anagement o!ernment led #ational campaigns that are well researchedaimedat beha!ior changeanddemandreduction. 7t isimportant alsotoconsiderincreasingthecapacityof local communitiestopursuesustainableandalternati!eli!elihoods as well as enhancing local communities1 rights and capacity to manage andbene(t fromwildlifeandenablesthemtoli!einmoreeIuitablesocio6 economicconditions. 7f successfully conducted, the integrated approach will pro!ide network ofsympathiers at the grass root le!el that would feed into the national anti6poachingintelligence network more e5ciently and with less in!estment costs./or more info please contact: 33/ Tanania, 4ommunications ;5ce, 2ar Es 0alaam,lgeorge@wwftz.orgJ