Elephants face firing squad in southern African nation Malawi

A large herd of elephants—adults and babies—remnants of once large herds that occupied southern Malawi is raiding storage areas in a desperate search for food and water. Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, where the animal and human populations compete for limited resurces, facing disease and famine daily.

The elephants are coming into direct conflict with the human communities, and human and elephant lives hang in the balance, as a consequence. At least 10 humans have been killed, including a 70-year-old man who was trampled to death.

To protect themselves and their meager crops, villagers have set snare traps, which leave large gaping wounds. Several elephants have had their trunks amputated by the traps.

Relocation of the elephants is the only viable solution, and authorities are planning to execute the entire herd if it is not moved immediately.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) has permission from the Malawi government to move the elephants and has located a perfect spot for them in a park called the Majete Wildlife Reserve.

The animals that previously live in the reserve were poached to extinction, but the Malawi government has made the park a protected sanctuary. It’s an ideal place for these threatened elephants.??

Unfortunately, Majete is more than 100 miles from Malawi, so moving these giants will be a monumental task.?? However, IFAW has a large, experienced team in place, ready to track and sedate the elephants, with a helicopter and trucks ready to go.