Uploaded October 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
It’s time to bring African forest elephants “out of the woods” and shine a spotlight on who they are! In this episode of World Wildlife Fund’s Wildlife Café series, Alexander Nicolas and Bas Huijbregts talk about the elusive and enigmatic African forest elephant. African forest elephants are the lesser-known cousin of the African savanna elephant, who inhabit the dense rain forests of west and central Africa. They are also an entirely different species, but this recognition is a relatively recent development. Because of this, their story has often been overshadowed or muddied in the conversation about the overall state of African elephants. In this episode, discover who these forest giants are, their vital roles in their ecosystem, and why there is an urgent need to protect them in the wild.
About Bas Huijbregts: Bas leads WWF’s work on wildlife conservation in Africa, focusing primarily on elephants, great apes, and rhinos. His work entails landscape planning, protected area management, law enforcement, community-based natural resource management, and the monitoring of species populations over time and space. Bas first started working in Africa in 1996 doing large mammal and socio-economic baseline surveys. Learn more about Bas: worldwildlife.org/experts/bas-huijbregts
Join us and learn more about wildlife conservation at the Wildlife Cafe: worldwildlife.org/pages/wildlife-cafe
Links to learn more:
Facts about African forest elephants: worldwildlife.org/species/african-forest-elephant
Why are African forest elephants climate heroes?: worldwildlife.org/stories/why-are-african-forest-elephants-climate-heroes
What’s the difference between Asian and African elephants?: worldwildlife.org/stories/what-s-the-difference-between-asian-and-african-elephants-and-10-other-elephant-facts
New study confirms FSC-certified forests help wildlife thrive in the Congo Basin: worldwildlife.org/stories/new-study-confirms-fsc-certified-forests-help-wildlife-thrive-in-the-congo-basin
Music:
Cycles Of Life | Philip Guyler | Audio Network US
Chapters:
0:00 In this episode…
0:20 Welcome to Wildlife Café!
1:11 What’s that painting behind Bas??
2:30 When and why did we finally acknowledge a separate African forest elephant species?
4:54 What role does an elephant play in the forest?
8:11 What inspired Bas to work on wildlife conservation?
9:52 How do you monitor forest elephants?
13:26 Major threats African forest elephants face
15:48 What has WWF been doing to protect forest elephants?
18:11 Bas’s hope for the future of African forest elephants
It’s time to bring African forest elephants “out of the woods” and shine a spotlight on who they are! In this episode of World Wildlife Fund’s Wildlife Café series, Alexander Nicolas and Bas Huijbregts talk about the elusive and enigmatic African forest elephant. African forest elephants are the lesser-known cousin of the African savanna elephant, who inhabit the dense rain forests of west and central Africa. They are also an entirely different species, but this recognition is a relatively recent development. Because of this, their story has often been overshadowed or muddied in the conversation about the overall state of African elephants. In this episode, discover who these forest giants are, their vital roles in their ecosystem, and why there is an urgent need to protect them in the wild.
About Bas Huijbregts: Bas leads WWF’s work on wildlife conservation in Africa, focusing primarily on elephants, great apes, and rhinos. His work entails landscape planning, protected area management, law enforcement, community-based natural resource management, and the monitoring of species populations over time and space. Bas first started working in Africa in 1996 doing large mammal and socio-economic baseline surveys. Learn more about Bas: worldwildlife.org/experts/bas-huijbregts
Join us and learn more about wildlife conservation at the Wildlife Cafe: worldwildlife.org/pages/wildlife-cafe
Links to learn more:
Facts about African forest elephants: worldwildlife.org/species/african-forest-elephant
Why are African forest elephants climate heroes?: worldwildlife.org/stories/why-are-african-forest-elephants-climate-heroes
What’s the difference between Asian and African elephants?: worldwildlife.org/stories/what-s-the-difference-between-asian-and-african-elephants-and-10-other-elephant-facts
New study confirms FSC-certified forests help wildlife thrive in the Congo Basin: worldwildlife.org/stories/new-study-confirms-fsc-certified-forests-help-wildlife-thrive-in-the-congo-basin
Music:
Cycles Of Life | Philip Guyler | Audio Network US
Chapters:
0:00 In this episode…
0:20 Welcome to Wildlife Café!
1:11 What’s that painting behind Bas??
2:30 When and why did we finally acknowledge a separate African forest elephant species?
4:54 What role does an elephant play in the forest?
8:11 What inspired Bas to work on wildlife conservation?
9:52 How do you monitor forest elephants?
13:26 Major threats African forest elephants face
15:48 What has WWF been doing to protect forest elephants?
18:11 Bas’s hope for the future of African forest elephants
