Elephants Learned to Avoid Poachers

Road development projects in the depth of wild areas inside the Republic of Congo threaten the massive elephants that live in the region, a new scientific study revealed recently. By tagging 28 elephants with GPS collars, scientists at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Save the Elephants organization discovered that the large animals are simply afraid to cross roads, which they've associated with poaching and death.
 

Authorities say that, outside the protected areas and parks, poaching is rampant throughout Central Africa and that the intelligent animals have detected this. Currently, the pachyderms are attempting to save themselves by remaining hidden deep inside forests and scientists say that, of the 28 tracked animals, a single one crossed a road throughout the time of the study, and it did so by running like it was being chased.
 

This behavior is very unusual for elephants, so wildlife experts immediately associated it to the intelligence levels these animals exhibited on numerous occasions. Their long-term memories remain unaltered over tens of years, so it would make sense that, once escaping a danger that came from the road, they would never approach it again; or at least for the next 50 years or so.
 

Isolation could have a very negative effect on elephant populations. Loss of habitat could spark conflicts between various groups, thus rendering all plans to avert their extinction useless. More competition means a harder mating season, which can dramatically affect the already-limited number of individuals that currently live in Africa. Overgrazing of weeds and trees could also affect the spread of the forest, as seeds will no longer be carried for miles on elephants' backs.
 

Dr. Stephen Blake, lead author of the study, said "A small yet very feasible shift in development planning, one that is actually good for poor local forest people and for wildlife and wilderness, would be a tremendous help to protect forest elephants and their home," in regard to the multi-billion dollar projects that are currently underway for the extension of the road network around elephant areas.