Skin poaching of Asian elephants, a crisis unfolding in Myanmar, could crush the species Science Aug 12, 2018 12:27 PM EDT Editor’s note: This story contains some graphic photos of elephant poaching. Ecologists in Myanmar spend hours and hours fighting through thick vines, forest and bamboo just to find a single Asian elephant. Now, they’re also racing against poachers. Over the last three to four years, poachers have begun taking the elephant’s skin and turning it into ruby red jewelry. The skin is also ground into powder and sold as medicine, according to separate...

Botswana considers lifting elephant hunting ban By Newsday - July 17, 2018 GABORONE — Botswana, home to the world’s largest elephant population, may lift a ban on hunting for sport in the face of what the government says is growing conflict between humans and wildlife, a move sure to provoke protest from animal welfare groups. Reuters Conservationists estimate the land-locked southern African country to have around 130 000 elephants, close to a third of the continent’s population, but the government says the number is closer to 230 000, causing problems for small-scale...