Tanzania Tops Africa In Number Of Buffaloes

[NamStay]

Tanzania: Report - Tanzania's Elephant Population Recovering

Tanzania's Ministry of Tourism released a census this week showing the country's elephant population has stabilized.

allafrica.com

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania — Tanzania's Ministry of Tourism released a census this week showing the country's elephant population has stabilized.

Tanzania's elephants were among the hardest hit by poaching in Africa, with numbers dropping 60 percent between 2009 and 2014. But authorities say joint efforts with conservation groups and local communities have drastically reduced poaching and helped to attract tourist dollars.

Just under 20,000 elephants were recorded in a survey that covered about 90,000 square kilometers of the Katavi-Rukwa and Ruaha-Rungwa landscapes in western Tanzania, including parks, game reserves, and other protected areas.

The government said the results confirm that the landscape remains the most important in East Africa in terms of elephant numbers and contains the largest population on the continent outside Zimbabwe and Botswana.

 

[Nevada Mike]

I hunted TZ Sept-Oct of this year in one of the western areas mentioned. There were, indeed, a lot of buffalo... we saw buffalo daily - sometimes right in camp!

The elephants were there in good numbers, but the bulls we saw were 'toothpick' bulls and all young. My PH says that they are recovering from the heavy poaching that occurred about thirty years ago. He does not hunt them of course.

Buffalo in camp... this one about 30 feet from our campfire

 

[M Whitley]

I was in Rungwa in August 2022. Same experience, elephants and buffalo daily. Groups of elephants and some bulls but thin ivory. There aren’t hunted in the area I was in either.

 

[R.M.C.]

Looks like good news to me!! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Safari1]

Definitely looks like an elephant recovery taking place!

 

[Excessexpress]

I was in Rungwa in August 2022. Same experience, elephants and buffalo daily. Groups of elephants and some bulls but thin ivory. There aren’t hunted in the area I was in either. View attachment 502546

Does elephant ivory become thicker or longer with age or is it fixed?

 

[Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS]

different areas, different genetics
tanzania is known for very long but generally thinner ivory
botswana generally shorter but thicker (hence good heavy bulls come out there)
zimbabwe, depends east and west of country but somewhere in between, fairly thick and fairly long

this is a generalisation. there is no fixed rule on age and thickness or length, its genetics. same as on any animal.... like wide horned kudu and narrow horned, impala with tips pointing out or in or straight up etc etc, its genetics and it varies from animal to animal

 

[flatwater bill]

That is good to hear. I think most of the members of this forum would like to hunt Tanz some day. Although the costs are considerably higher than other destination countries; it holds a lot more allure historically. No one can predict the future, but I must say this: When I was a boy, and dreamed of hunting Tanzania, the human population there was about 6 million. Today, it is 64 million, and projected to exceed 100 million in 12 short years. That kind of growth can put tremendous pressure on wildlife. It often leads to political instability. Don't put off your Tanzania hunt too long. That's my message. Great game numbers right now. Thanks for posting........................FWB

 

[Dee S]

All great news. I doubt I'll ever have the opportunity to hunt there, but I still love reading about the amazing hunts that are being posted from there. Always good stuff.