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Article: Lessons of the Elephant.(elephant population control in Africa)
- Article from:
- Sports Afield
- Article date:
- March 1, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Hearst Communications, reprinted with permission of Hearst. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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What can Africa's experiences teach us about managing wild animal populations?
The whok-whok-whok of the helicopter reverberates over the canopy of acacia trees. In the back of a military-green truck, three men in khaki shift their semiautomatic rifles on their hips, waiting. The pulse of the helicopter draws closer, pierced suddenly by the high-pitched and panicked sound of an elephant's trumpet. Several females, their calves and one big-tusked male frantically run through the clearing ahead of the truck, the helicopter chasing them.
Out of its port window a man in military fatigues appears, aims a tranquilizer gun at the fleeing elephants, and fires. ...