ELEPHANT TRAGEDY IN ZIMBABWE

Leading up to the New Year, amidst a global atmosphere of joy and optimism, a tragic disaster

unfolded in Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park: The demise of over 100 elephants. And all due to drought! Climatologists attribute the drought to the recurring weather phenomenon known as El Nino. This phenomenon, characterized by the unusual warming of the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean, disrupts global weather patterns and significantly diminishes rainfall in Sub-Saharan Africa. Experts underscore that the impact of El Nino was exacerbated by global warming, as the confluence of these two temperature-increasing events strained the already scarce resources of the affected region. This distressing event bears a haunting resemblance to a similar occurrence in 2019 when more than 200 elephants succumbed to the harsh drought conditions in Hwange. Requiring 200 litres of water daily to sustain their bodies, these elephants had been profoundly affected by the alarming lack of rainfall.

The calamity serves as a stark indicator of the shifting weather patterns worldwide. In Zimbabwe, the home country of Hwange, the once reliable wet season from October to March has become increasingly erratic and shorter over the years. The demise of the elephants constitutes a significant setback for the ecosystem of Hwange National Park, as elephants play a crucial role as major reforestors. Their dung serves to disperse seeds of plants over large distances as they migrate. Zimbabwe's national park association, Zimparks, somberly declared that the country possesses the resources to support only half of the 100,000 elephants currently residing within its borders. The 45,000 elephants in Hwange rely on artificial boreholes, which unfortunately dry up rapidly when subjected to intense heat. A representative from Zimparks, further predicting the anticipation of more elephant deaths, lamented, "El Nino is exacerbating an already dire situation," emphasizing that this trend will continue in the future if we don't stop it.

-By Ishaan and Pratham