The Borno state government has confirmed that elephants are no longer present in the Sambisa forest. According to Mr. Ayuba Peter, Director of Forestry and Wildlife in the Ministry of Environment, a survey conducted before the Boko Haram insurgency found no evidence of elephants in the forest. He attributed the depletion of the elephant population to poaching activities and habitat destruction.
Prior to the insurgency, a herd of elephants was known to inhabit the Sambisa forest. However, due to relentless poaching and habitat destruction, the elephants were wiped out. The government had hoped that a neighboring elephant herd from Cameroon would migrate to Sambisa forest, providing a more habitable environment for the animals.
Despite reports of elephant sightings in border areas, including Gamboru/Ngala and Kala-Balge axis, the animals have not ventured into the Sambisa forest. Instead, they have been causing damage to farmlands in the border regions. The government’s efforts to revive the elephant population in Sambisa forest have yet to yield results, leaving the forest devoid of these majestic creatures.
