Mysterious, endangered ‘ghost elephant' seen for the first time in years: ‘Might now be the last'
No, this photo-bombing pachyderm is not an apparition, a phantasm or a spooky specter. He is the only African forest elephant to be spotted — via remote trail cam — in Senegal's Niokolo-Koba National Park in five long years.
The 'ghost' epithet can be applied to a range of endangered species, but ghost elephants in particular are described as being 'refugees in their own homelands, moving in secret between small patches of habitat,' by the Elephant Crisis Fund in its 2022 report on elephant population loss. 'They are being lost one by one to old age or conflict with people.'
Advertisement
Back in 2020, when he was last spotted, the infrequently photographed elephant Ousmane — named for a beloved former ranger of the Senegalese park — was thought to have lived alongside five to ten other African forest elephants.
However, recent DNA analysis completed by wildlife conservation non-profit Panthera in tandem with the park confirms he's likely the only individual left, though several corroborating studies are pending.
The park — which was once a hotspot for forest elephant activity in the region, with hundreds of documented elephants roaming the wooded region — works with Panthera to protect the region's many endangered species.
Advertisement
'Darting and moving elephants to a secure location has been tried, in Ivory Coast for example, but capturing these elusive individuals is very difficult and there is no guarantee that they will remain wherever they are moved to,' elaborated the Elephant Crisis Fund in the same report.
evenfh – stock.adobe.com
Despite these efforts, elephant populations across the western coast of Africa are still impacted by issues like drought, poaching, the ivory harvest, habitat loss, and human-elephant contact.
'Elephants are under immense pressure in West Africa. Only a few populations of the pachyderms survive in this region. Niokolo-Koba National Park, where this individual was filmed, is the last area in Senegal where this endangered species survives,' Philipp Henschel, Panthera's West and Central Regional Director, told Newsweek.
Elephants typically live in small herds arranged around their immediate 'families.'
evenfh – stock.adobe.com
Advertisement
Though it's likely that Ousmane is the sole African forest elephant in Senegal, Henschel confirmed that the news isn't all bad.
'Panthera and our local partner, the park authority DPN, have gradually increased the protection of Niokolo-Koba National Park since the start of our joint park support program in 2017.'
'Detailed surveys are currently underway to assess if the elephant we recently filmed, Ousmane, is the sole survivor in the park and therefore Senegal. If this were found to be the case, we will assess the feasibility of translocating a herd of females into the park, so as to found a new breeding elephant population in Senegal,' concluded Henschel.
According to the ECF, attempting to create breeding populations and establishing large protected areas with the support of local governments is the best way to restore plummeting populations, so perhaps a bigger backyard and a friendly female elephant are in store for 'ghost elephant' Ousmane.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Juneteenth History: How the Holiday Started and Evolved Over Time
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Juneteenth, the nation's most recent federal holiday, is celebrated by Americans on June 19 to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States and has a history going back to the 1860s. Why It Matters Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021 after President Joe Biden signed bipartisan legislation into law to officially make it a holiday. However, it has been celebrated by the African American community for more than 150 years and has been a holiday in Texas for decades. What To Know President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, declaring that "all persons held as slaves" within Confederate states "are, and henceforward shall be free." But many remained enslaved for years to come. The proclamation applied only to states in rebellion against the Union, and it would take a Civil War for that freedom to come to fruition in Confederate states. Juneteenth marks the date when Union soldiers arrived to Galveston, Texas, to officially declare slaves in the state as being free. General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 on June 19, 1865, freeing the state's slaves. "The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor," the order reads. June 19 emerged as a celebratory day for African Americans in Texas, as Juneteenth celebrations followed the next year and have continued to this day, though the holiday has seen some changes over the years. Leslie Wilson, associate dean of Montclair University's College of Humanities and Social Sciences, told Newsweek that the Emancipation Proclamation was a "tool" Lincoln used, essentially telling Confederate states slaves would be freed if they do not stop fighting the Union. Most southern states did not pay attention to the order. As Union troops took control of each state, they would declare slavery as over under the proclamation. Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty/Canva That means each southern state has its own Emancipation Day when slavery ended, but Juneteenth is celebrated because it was the last of those days, Wilson said. Other states did not popularize their Emancipation Day as Texans, who held large celebrations that spread across the country over the next century. People in Texas celebrated with large picnics and dressed up for the events, serving foods like Red Velvet Cake—a symbol of resilience—Wilson said. Daryl Heller, director of the Civil Rights Heritage Center at Indiana University, told Newsweek it is important to celebrate Juneteenth as the nation has still not "fully grappled with how significant slavery is" to its history. "Juneteenth is a reminder that the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 did not free all the slaves, all the people who were enslaved, and even the end of the Civil didn't guarantee freedom for everyone," he said. Even Juneteenth did not mark the end of slavery in every state. That would come on December 6, 1865, when the 13th Amendment passed, he said. Years of reconstruction would follow as former slaves and their families worked to reunite, establish political power in the United States and build new lives. But it would still be another century before Black Americans were guaranteed full rights and treated as equal citizens under the U.S. Constitution. Heller said people can have meaningful dialogues and "real discussions about the history of this country" this year to celebrate Juneteenth. "Looking under the surface and going deeper to try to understand not just the day itself, but what produced the day and what was the aftermath of it, I think is a really, really important part of the celebration itself," he said. Juneteenth is about "Black resilience," Wilson said. "Black people across the nation will celebrate it whether or not it is a federal or state holiday. African American history has already demonstrated the strength of the holiday and the conviction of its followers. People like Opal Lee did a great deal to expand knowledge of Juneteenth and to convey its importance to black and white communities," he said. Juneteenth Celebrations Extend Across the U.S. Juneteenth grew from a local Texas holiday to a "western regional holiday" by 1910, he said. By the early 1960s, the celebration became popular in cities like New Orleans, Tulsa, Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Denver. Communities on the East Coast began to have a "deeper connection" with the holiday during the Civil Rights and Black Power Movement, Wilson said. Different understandings had emerged about the end of slavery. In the North, many were taught that it ended with the Emancipation Proclamation, but those in the South learned slavery only ended when slaves were freed state-by-state by Union troops, he said. "When people from Texas starting moving acrsos the country in the late 1800s and into the 1900s, they were celebrating Juneteenth because it had been memorialized in their minds. People in different states said, 'Oh, I never know about this.' They would say 'How did you not know about this,' and it became very popular," he said. On the East Coast, some were initially skeptical after learning in school that slaves were freed after the Emancipation Proclamation, he said. "In the 20th century, as more and more people moved across the country and bringing their cultures and their customs with them, then Juneteenth became more popular outside of Texas, and it had become more popular in urban centers where African-Americans had migrated," he said. Juneteenth celebrations became "acts of resistance" during the Jim Crow era, Portia Hopkins, a historian at Rice University, told Newsweek. Those gatherings sustained "cultural memory when Black freedom remained under siege," she said. They were organized locally and situated within Black community centers and churches. Wilson said the understanding of Juneteenth was "widespread throughout the nation in African American communities" by the time it became a state holiday in Texas in 1980. "It took another 20 years for white America to begin its recognition of Juneteenth and another 10 after that for commercial interests to promote the holiday," he said. The holiday can "remind African Americans of the shortcomings of American politics and society and encourage them that they again need to fight for the rights that they are "promised by the constitution," according to Wilson. Juneteenth Became Federal Holiday in 2021 The efforts to make Juneteenth a national holiday gained traction after "the murder of George Floyd in 2020 and the national reckoning it sparked," Hopkins said. "In 2021, Juneteenth became a federal holiday, making it the first new national holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983. That recognition is deeply symbolic because it affirms that Black history is American history and that the story of freedom is more complicated—and more honest—when it includes the voices of those for whom it was long withheld," she said. The holiday is being "celebrated amid a complex social and cultural American landscape" in 2025, Hopkins said, noting the recent renaming of military bases after Confederate leaders and rollbacks of DEI initiatives. "Nevertheless, Juneteenth celebrations continue to be vibrant, meaningful and optimistic about the future because, in essence, that was at the heart of the celebration within its original context in the first place," she said. Onwubiko Agozino, professor of sociology at Virginia Tech University, told Newsweek he believes Juneteenth is a day to come out against slavery, which still exists in the world, and a reminder of why the U.S. should "value diversity." A Juneteenth flag is displayed in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 2024. A Juneteenth flag is displayed in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 2024. MARK FELIX/AFP via Getty Images "Part of the reason why America is America the beautiful is because of the diversity that benefits everybody," he said. "It's also in Constitution, in the 14th Amendment,. And in the Preamble of the Constitution, it says 'We the people.' Not 'We the white men.'" What People Are Saying Leslie Wilson, associate dean of Montclair University's College of Humanities and Social Sciences, told Newsweek: "Juneteenth is a confusing holiday because it weakens the idea that the Emancipation Proclamation 'freed' the enslaved, that the 13th Amendment ended slavery, or that the surrender of General Lee brought an end to the Civil War and slavery. It suggests that what most kids have learned in school is not entirely correct. And the story of Juneteenth and the myth of Juneteenth are equally confusing. General Granger read a proclamation that said that the enslaved were free, but Union troops did not go throughout the area ensuring that all were free. The reading of the document also still ties the bondsmen and women to picking cotton for the Union (because there was a need to maintain trade to cover the national debt). In essence, African Americans see the holiday as their self-liberation from the underwhelming promises of American freedom. By and large, many of the enslaved used the proclamation to free themselves and create new lives by running away from Texas plantations, finding loved ones, and building new societies." President Joe Biden, in a June 2024 statement: "One of my proudest moments as President was signing into law Juneteenth as a new Federal holiday—the first Federal holiday to be established since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day four decades prior. Juneteenth is an acknowledgment of the truth of our Nation's history. It is about realizing the idea that America was founded on: All people are created equal and deserve to be treated equally throughout their lives."
Newsweek
10 hours ago
- Newsweek
Cat Alone in House for 8 Months After Owner Passes Away—Then Came a Miracle
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A cat who lived alone for eight months after his owner passed away finally found joy again with a new, forever family. Kurt the orange cat wouldn't leave his owner's side. He quickly became the man's favorite cat out of the stray felines he rescued over the years. The two best friends would watch NASCAR together, and Kurt always sat on his shoulders, the cat's new owner, Courtnie Burke, told Newsweek via TikTok. However, Kurt's life turned upside down when his owner passed. All the other cats fled when a real estate agent came to the house, but Kurt stayed put. "Kurt was then left alone in the house, and his daughter, who lived in a different state because we are in New York, was trying to find someone who could take care of Kurt and adopt him and had no luck for eight months," Burke said. Burke learned that during those eight months alone, the daughter hired someone to come in, leave food for Kurt and change his litter. But she never saw him. Burke said the caretaker only heard Kurt howling from another room. Seeing a plea on Facebook about Kurt, Burke immediately knew she needed to step in to adopt him. He came to her with a horrible infection from being scared and sitting in the litter box, she said. He also stopped grooming himself and had cuts over his nose and face. But despite being alone for all the time, Kurt immediately warmed up to Burke, her boyfriend and her cats. Burke shared in Monday's TikTok video under her account @courtniescats Kurt's story and how he's adjusted to a new family. With patience and understanding, it did not take long for Kurt to trust his new humans. He especially took to Burke's boyfriend. He made himself comfortable in his home, even after they moved. All he cared about was receiving the love he's been missing since his owner passed. Screenshots from a June 16 TikTok video of an orange cat adjusting to his new home after living alone for 8 months when his owner passed. Screenshots from a June 16 TikTok video of an orange cat adjusting to his new home after living alone for 8 months when his owner passed. @courtniescats/TikTok Being part of Kurt's story and giving him a home for the rest of his days melted Burke's heart. "...I didn't know the situation at first, and I had hoped that Kurt was loved by his previous owner, and when I searched up his obituary online, it was flooded with comments about how amazing James was to all of the strays in his area and how much he did for the cats and it made me so happy," she said. Viewer Reactions Touched by the miracle of Kurt being saved, the TikTok video reached over 479,700 views and 85,900 likes within two days of being posted. "If there's an afterlife, I know his old owner probably felt so relieved when you adopted him," wrote one person. Another added: "Alone for 8 months. That's so sad. Thank you for saving him and giving him the best furever home." A third user said: "I can't even imagine what this poor guy went through during those 8 lonely months. Thank goodness he now has you as his forever family." Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
New York Post
13 hours ago
- New York Post
Mysterious, endangered ‘ghost elephant' seen for the first time in years: ‘Might now be the last'
No, this photo-bombing pachyderm is not an apparition, a phantasm or a spooky specter. He is the only African forest elephant to be spotted — via remote trail cam — in Senegal's Niokolo-Koba National Park in five long years. The 'ghost' epithet can be applied to a range of endangered species, but ghost elephants in particular are described as being 'refugees in their own homelands, moving in secret between small patches of habitat,' by the Elephant Crisis Fund in its 2022 report on elephant population loss. 'They are being lost one by one to old age or conflict with people.' Advertisement Back in 2020, when he was last spotted, the infrequently photographed elephant Ousmane — named for a beloved former ranger of the Senegalese park — was thought to have lived alongside five to ten other African forest elephants. However, recent DNA analysis completed by wildlife conservation non-profit Panthera in tandem with the park confirms he's likely the only individual left, though several corroborating studies are pending. The park — which was once a hotspot for forest elephant activity in the region, with hundreds of documented elephants roaming the wooded region — works with Panthera to protect the region's many endangered species. Advertisement 'Darting and moving elephants to a secure location has been tried, in Ivory Coast for example, but capturing these elusive individuals is very difficult and there is no guarantee that they will remain wherever they are moved to,' elaborated the Elephant Crisis Fund in the same report. evenfh – Despite these efforts, elephant populations across the western coast of Africa are still impacted by issues like drought, poaching, the ivory harvest, habitat loss, and human-elephant contact. 'Elephants are under immense pressure in West Africa. Only a few populations of the pachyderms survive in this region. Niokolo-Koba National Park, where this individual was filmed, is the last area in Senegal where this endangered species survives,' Philipp Henschel, Panthera's West and Central Regional Director, told Newsweek. Elephants typically live in small herds arranged around their immediate 'families.' evenfh – Advertisement Though it's likely that Ousmane is the sole African forest elephant in Senegal, Henschel confirmed that the news isn't all bad. 'Panthera and our local partner, the park authority DPN, have gradually increased the protection of Niokolo-Koba National Park since the start of our joint park support program in 2017.' 'Detailed surveys are currently underway to assess if the elephant we recently filmed, Ousmane, is the sole survivor in the park and therefore Senegal. If this were found to be the case, we will assess the feasibility of translocating a herd of females into the park, so as to found a new breeding elephant population in Senegal,' concluded Henschel. According to the ECF, attempting to create breeding populations and establishing large protected areas with the support of local governments is the best way to restore plummeting populations, so perhaps a bigger backyard and a friendly female elephant are in store for 'ghost elephant' Ousmane.
