Interview: World's largest elephants, Gourma elephants in Mali, face extinction

The world's largest elephants, Gourma elephants that live in northern Mali, face extinction, Mali's director for Water and Forests Biramou Sissoko has told Xinhua in an interview.

"These elephants have unique characteristics. They are bigger than those in Asia and other African countries," the Malian expert said.

One characteristic of the Gourma elephants, he said, is that they are the only ones in the world to migrate "to indicate the presence of water and food."

"In June 2007, there were 367 elephants in Gourma region. But due to drought and the presence of a high number of domestic animals around them, the elephants were forced to abandon their water points and move far away for fear of dying as it happened in 2010," Cissoko recalled.

This year, he said, about 20 elephants died because "they left Banzena waterhole where about 50,000 domestic animals had been taken in search for water. They were heading towards the direction of Lake Haougoundou, but before they arrived, the young ones died."

Another major threat to the survival of these elephants is the poaching that is facilitated by the presence of terrorists and the increased insecurity situation in northern Mali.

Since the end of 2014, 90 elephants have been killed by poachers, which is equivalent to about 20 percent of the elephants in the region, results of a recent study revealed.

Cissoko noted that poachers do not understand that ivory from Gourma elephants "does not earn much money on the international market because it is not of good quality.

"Speaking to Xinhua on phone, the director in Mali's environment minister's office, Chaga Coulibaly, said "Mali should play its role in preservation of the planet."

"We have an opportunity to host, in Gourma region, the remaining population of these elephants in the south of Sahara. This population migrates between Mali and Burkina Faso, when heading to Banzena waterhole. They are a source of pride and a model for compromise between man, elephants and the environment," Coulibaly said.

He noted that this compromise that has lasted for centuries, is a living proof that Sahara was not always a desert zone, but a biotope that encouraged lifestyles and civilizations that survived several centuries.

Coulibaly expressed concern that "this historic heritage was strongly threatened by terrorists who look at it as a potential source for funding of their criminal activities."

"Here, just like elsewhere, an elephant is killed because of its ivory. We should therefore work together because the peace we seek for our country should also be peace for the environment," the Malian official concluded. Endit