The African elephant may still be at risk elsewhere, but in Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana the herds are healthy.
"One thing I am quite sure of is that we have sent a message around the world that the African elephant is less safe than it was a day ago, " Hagos Yohannes said.
We are six elephant biologists who have collectively worked for more than 125 years throughout the African and Indian elephant range to document the lives, status and behaviors of elephants.
The call of a bull elephant is unmistakable in the African plains.
Finally we asked Valerie, the park's 7, 400-pound African elephant, to stand on the phone and toss it to the pavement.
But in recent years those advances have been reversed, with an increase in elephant poaching across the African continent.
Savanna elephant populations in the Central African Republic are believed to have plummeted from around 80, 000 just 30 years ago to a few hundred today, according to WWF, formerly known as the World Wildlife Fund.
CNN: Cameroon elephant slaughter latest in string of killings
In the next few hours, we saw African buffalo, elephant, warthog, giraffe, lion and hyena, snapping countless close-up photos.
These nations typically enjoyed expanding elephant herds while the number of elephants in other African countries, such as Kenya and Tanzania, was shrinking.
"Elephant poaching is on the increase and given the fact that Central African Republic for the moment is also in dire straits we are fearing for the worst in terms of people trying to look seriously for ivory, " said Bas Huijbregts, head of policy for WWF's campaign against poaching in Central Africa.
Visitors to the website are greeted not by a picture of a baby elephant up for adoption but by a bit of landscape and the chance to adopt an African acre in an important place.
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