{"id":1290,"date":"2019-10-14T12:24:02","date_gmt":"2019-10-14T12:24:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.africansafarisint.co.za\/?p=1290"},"modified":"2019-10-14T12:24:02","modified_gmt":"2019-10-14T12:24:02","slug":"safari-tourism-may-make-elephants-more-aggressive-but-its-still-the-best-tool-for-conservation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africansafarisint.co.za\/luxury\/safari-tourism-may-make-elephants-more-aggressive-but-its-still-the-best-tool-for-conservation\/","title":{"rendered":"Safari tourism may make elephants more aggressive \u2013 but it\u2019s still the best tool for conservation"},"content":{"rendered":"
Going on safari in Africa offers tourists the opportunity to see some of the most spectacular wildlife on Earth \u2013 including African elephants (Loxodonta africana<\/em>). Known for their\u00a0complex social systems<\/a>,\u00a0long memory and high intelligence<\/a>, this species is also threatened by poaching and shrinking habitats, so further disturbance to their precarious existence could have serious consequences.<\/p>\n Wildlife tourism can help protect these animals and their habitat by generating income for conservation and providing stable work in local economies. Countries such as South Africa and Kenya receive two to five million visitors to protected areas each year,\u00a0generating receipts of up to USD$90m<\/a>. But as it becomes more popular worldwide, it\u2019s worth remembering that we often don\u2019t know how tourism affects the animals we observe.<\/p>\n