This is a sad reality about poaching but it seems like there is hope. Did anyone read this article?
http://discovermagazine.com/2007/aug/how-to-hunt-people

Very sad. Just adds to a sad article i read in our local newspaper,"The Hindu" yesterday which said the actual tiger population in India is closer to only 1500 against the 3500 that the national parks authorities had estimated....

Thanks for posting lenlu. Very interesting read although its a bit of a stretch for the article to say they are pinpointing poachers, rather they are identifying the areas where the elephants come from but of course that at least lets managers know where to step up efforts. Looks like the bulk of ele's poached are in Zambia and Zimbabwe based on that data.

Hari: I hate to see that about the tiger numbers although it is certainly no surprise.

Bill,

Apparently, the tiger numbers are ok in the protected parks, but in fringe areas that is affected by the growing population numbers, they are on the brink......although, i have read horror reports about one or two prominent parks.

Add to all this, the boom in the economy and there leaves little room for tigers or leopards or elephants!!!

It is sad indeed to see these stats.

In Sri Lanka too we have a very serious "Human Elephant Conflict". About 150 died last year under vaious tragic circumstances, including starvation due to fencing off and relocation, and indiscriminate killing/shooting. About 50 human casualties were also recorded, either killed or badly injured by elephant attacks, mostly farmers who have illegally settled in traditional elephant lands. The bigest threat here is habitat loss and cutting off off the traditional seasonal migratory routes. I was privilidged to attend a lecture few days back by Dr Pritiviraj Fernando (Research Associate (Smithsonian Institution, USA) who currently heads the Elephant Conservation project in Sri Lanka. Some of his findings are really eye opening. One can find more information on this at http://www.ccrsl.org

Regards
Mohammed

Yeah the tiger one infuriates me the most.

At least with the elephant there is some (debatable) argument for culling in some areas. South Africans says they have too many.

I think tigers are not even close to being safe in most parks in India.

I agree Predator Biologist regarding nailing specific poachers. With regard to the elephants and tigers and any others, it all makes me sick though I know it's a complex problem in many countries. Mohammed, thanks for the link. Awareness is a start...