Forest Elephants are being Slaughtered with new roads in Africa

Scientists in 1989 estimated there were 170,000 elephants left in the wild. Today the number may be much lower. With new roads being constructed in central Africa, poachers gain more access to the valuable ivory they seek. Many poaching camps and slaughtered elephants have been discovered, leading scientists to fear a dramatic decrease in the elephant population. "It is not the physical effect of the road that is the issue—forest elephants actually like roadside vegetation—rather it is the fact that unmanaged roads bring people, with their guns and ammunition," says the lead author of the study being conducted by the Wildlife Conservation Society.

The poaching seems to occur mostly in the African country of the Republic of Congo.

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The study also found that poaching is less likely farther away from roads (no poached elephants were found 28 miles from the roads). The poaching is caused by an illegal trade of Ivory to countries like China. These roads need better management to protect the endangered forest elephants which is what the study calls for.