There has been a rumor spreading around that two elephants have been killed by a speeding bus around Murchison Falls National Park on new years’ eve ,but here at Everbased Tours we are yet to confirm whether the rumors are true or false.

Deaths of these gentle giants due to car accidents has been rare but rather their lives have been mainly threatened by poachers hunting for ivory, with approximately 30,000 elephants slaughtered for their ivory every year, mainly to satisfy demand in the Asian market for products coveted as a traditional medicine or as status symbols. For example 50 year old Satao II, one of Africa’s oldest and largest elephants was killed by poachers in Kenya in March of last year. And a leading elephant conservationist from Tanzania, Wayne Lotter, was shot dead in August of last year, poising a potential threat to the elephant population in East Africa.

The latest elephant census data suggests that elephant populations fell by 30% in Africa between 2007 and 2014. Tanzania experienced one of the biggest declines in elephant numbers.