Africa's Elephant Crisis: Too Many in the South, None in the North

In parts of Africa, elephants have nearly vanished. In others, their growing numbers are creating intense conflict with people. This great divide is the continent's new conservation challenge. In South Sudan's Badingilo National Park, finding an elephant is a difficult task. From a small aircraft, the vast landscape appears empty of the great herds that once roamed there. The park's last known elephant is a 20-year-old male. Conservationists track him using a GPS collar. His profound loneliness is shown by his behavior: he follows a herd of giraffes. This scene contrasts sharply with countries further south, like Zimbabwe and Botswana. There, elephant populations have grown due to successful protection. The result is more frequent and destructive encounters with local communities. Africa now faces two simultaneous crises: protecting the last elephants in some regions, and managing overpopulation in others.