No-tusk elephants evolve after poaching

Elephants are becoming tuskless after decades of poaching in Africa, according to research.

The rare tuskless genetic condition in Gorongosa National Park in central Mozambique has become more common after years of being targeted by ruthless ivory hunters.

About 90% of the country’s elephants were killed between 1977 to 1992 by groups who used the ivory to fund a Cold War-era conflict.

After the war, those tuskless surviving females passed on their genes and about half their daughters were tuskless and almost two thirds of their offspring were female.

Although tusklessness was once rare in African savannah elephants, it has become more common.“tusklessness might be advantageous during a war,” said Robert Pringle of Princeton University.”but that comes at a cost.”

An iconic big tusker elephant as featured in a celebrated series of images by Scottish photographer David Yarrow. Only a few of the creatures are left due to ivory poaching