Elephants fulfill crucial roles - they disperse seed, clear and open up the bush, build water holes and bring nutrients into the cycle of other animals and thus maintain the delicate balance of their ecosystem.

1950:

3.5 Mio elephants left in Africa

Today:

Only 400,000 left (-90%)

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There are two types of rhino in Southern Africa: the black rhino and the white rhino. Rhinos are poached for their horns, as the horn substance is said to have healing properties in Asia.

2016:

60 poached rhinos per year

2023:

600 poached rhinos per year

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The Lower Zambezi National Park in Zambia and the Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe are located on opposite banks of the Zambezi River. The huge Sapi Reserve on the Zimbabwe side extends the protected zone by 1,174km². Formerly a hunting block, Great Plains takes over in 2016 and immediately declares it an area for photographic safaris only.

1983:

Lower Zambezi is declared a National Park

1984:

Mana Pools is declared a National Park

2016:

Sapi is declared a photographic reserve

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The Virunga Volcano Region (VVR) is ecologically a single entity, but politically divided into three national parks: Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Another gorilla population lives in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BINP) in Uganda in an area of about 330km².

1961:

542 Gorillas in Eastern Africa

2010:

880 Gorillas in Eastern Africa

2018:

1,063 Gorillas in Eastern Africa

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