Elephant conservation news: 16 ? 22 May 2009
Conservation group Save the Elephants has warned that the "last desert elephants" are dying in the worst drought in Mali for 26 years.
The group reported that nine elephants have already died due to drought conditions in the West African country, three after falling into a well when searching for water.
The youngest are said to be the most vulnerable as their trunks cannot reach far enough into the dried-out wells.
"The elephants are now in a deadly situation as they wait for the rains to begin," said Save the Elephants' scientist Jake Wall.
The group has blamed overstocking of livestock and climate change for the worsening conditions in the Sahel area, which lies between the Saharan desert and the Sudan.
It warned that the relationship between the elephants and herdsmen in the area was breaking down as both groups fought for water.
Indian electric fences claim another elephant
A female elephant appears to have become the latest victim of illegal electric fencing around farmers' fields in India, The Hindu reported.
The elephant, which was around 15 years old, died on Thursday after coming into contact with a fence erected to prevent wild animals entering the fields.
The police and forest officials said that a case has been registered against the farmer for allegedly causing the death of the elephant.
It is reported that many elephants have died from electrocution in protected areas over the last couple of years, because some farmers electrify their fences with high-voltage currents, illegally-tapped from power lines - a crime for which no-one has yet been convicted.
