SELOUS SAFARI COMPANY
The Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania has experienced a crisis in recent years, with the elephant population in rapid decline due to the brutal evolution of poaching in the area. Home to 74,000 elephants in 2006, a census undertaken by Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute revealed that in 2013 the number of pachyderms had reached a low of 13,000. Last year, however, hope was reborn with reports that the population had risen again to 15,000, an increase of a little over 15 per cent. The beginnings of this reversal are due to the remarkable efforts of Tanzania’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism (MNRT) and the Police Force’s National and Transnational Serious Crime Unit (NTSCIU), which have been responsible for heightening global awareness and pursuing poachers on the ground.