- African Elephant News
- Posts
- 🐘 July 17 2026
🐘 July 17 2026
The Elephant News Service is provided by Save the Elephants for elephant lovers, scientists and conservationists who want to stay informed on the latest elephant news from reputable media sources worldwide. The stories are presented in no particular order.
Stephanie Edwards, Discover (U.S.), July 16, 2026
There are few things more iconic about elephants than their large, floppy ears. And it turns out, their ears may be more impressive on the inside than on the outside. Long before a distant herd comes into view, an elephant likely already knows it is coming, thanks to silent messages sent through the ground. A new study helps explain why elephants are so good at detecting these underground signals. The answer appears to lie in an unexpected combination of enormous middle-ear bones, oversized eardrums, and a unique ability to close their ear canals at will.
Wilfred Golden, Nyasa Times (Malawi), July 16, 2027
A coalition of environmental civil society organisations has welcomed a High Court ruling that rejected an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) request to discontinue a wildlife trafficking case involving a Chinese national, Lin Yun Hua, describing the decision as a significant moment in Malawi’s fight against illegal wildlife trade. Speaking at a press briefing in Lilongwe, environmental activist Zilanie Gondwe said the ruling represented a major milestone for a country that has repeatedly struggled to translate its wildlife protection laws into successful prosecutions of high-profile trafficking networks.
The Zimbabwean (Zimbabwe), July 15, 2026
In northern Zimbabwe, villagers encounter a variety of wildlife in their everyday routines. Here, human-wildlife conflict isn’t limited to predators. Wilson Charumbira lives in Kafurira, Kariba district, and his ready-to-harvest maize crop was once wiped out by a herd of elephants in the night. He attempted to use a light to scare them away, but it did not help. He looked on miserably as the elephants feasted on his maize crop, a staple food for many in Zimbabwe. “We had to survive on gifts from other villagers that year,” Charumbira said. “It was terrible.”