Rare elephants discovered in WES

Wildlife conservationists have found forest elephants in Western Equatoria State for the first time in South Sudan.

They found the rare animals during a survey of an area, 8, 000 Square Kilometers in the state.

Cameras were deployed over the area as part of ongoing surveys under a partnership between conservation charity Fauna and Flora International, Bucknell University, and South Sudan’s Wildlife Service.

The conservationists also say they also captured new records of other animal species, including the African golden cat, water chevrotain, red river hog and giant pangolin.

In statement, the global conservation charity, Fauna and Flora International say Forest Elephants are highly endangered and their populations have declined drastically in the last twenty years.

“This is an extremely important finding… Finding them in South Sudan expands their known range—something that urgently needs further study because forest elephants, like their savannah cousins, are facing intense poaching pressure,” said DeeAnn Reeder, a biology professor at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, which worked with a conservation charity Fauna & Flora International and South Sudan’s Wildlife Service on the project.

They say Forest Elephants are unique from the other kinds of elephant because they play an important role in the forest ecosystem because they disperse seeds across a wide area.

The charity says finding them in South Sudan is a great advancement.