Yankari Game Reserve is Nigeria's richest wildlife oasis, home to important populations of lions, hippos, and many other species - as well as the last viable elephant population left in the country, and one of the largest remaining in all of West Africa. Like many of Africa's elephants, they are under severe threat from poaching and the illegal ivory trade. Help the Wildlife Conservation Society protect these elephants by supporting regular and effective ranger patrols.
Without intervention, the level of poaching in Yankari Game Reserve will soon decimate its remaining elephants. However, protection efforts are limited due to shortage of proper equipment for rangers, as well as low morale, lack of training, and low pay. In contrast, poachers are increasingly well-organized, armed, and aggressive. It is therefore critical that we meet this growing threat by improving ranger capacity. Action is needed now to secure a future for elephants in Yankari.
WCS aims to improve protection for elephants and reduce levels of poaching in Yankari Game Reserve by providing training, equipment, field rations, cash bonuses for poacher arrests, and overnight camping allowances for rangers. These resources will allow rangers to increase the frequency, duration, coverage, and efficacy of their patrols, and they have been shown to also boost morale, resulting in an increased number of arrests and dramatically improving levels of protection.
Conserving the elephants of Yankari Game Reserve - the largest surviving population in Nigeria - is vital for the long-term future of elephants in West Africa. With improved protection we can stop the decline of Yankari's elephants due to poaching, safeguard one of Nigeria's most important refuges for elephants and other wildlife, and help ensure the survival of this iconic species for future generations.
