No one had seen the “ghost elephant” of Niokolo-Koba National Park in over half a decade. That is, until now. Trail cameras recently recorded proof that this elusive African elephant, Ousmane, is still alive and wandering around in Niokolo-Koba National Park, a protected area of southeastern Senegal.
Videos by Outdoors
Panthera and Senegal’s National Parks Directorate (DPN) released the trail-cam footage, saying it’s the first video of Ousmane since 2020. Ousmane, named after a park ranger, is called a “ghost elephant” because he’s a mere figment of a once-booming elephant population. In fact, Panthera says Ousmane could be the very last of his kind in this area.
[RELATED: Trail Cams Capture Rare Footage of Wolves Feeding on Bull Elk]
“When last spotted in January 2020, Ousmane was considered one of only five to 10 elephants remaining in the park — a stark contrast to the hundreds that once roamed here and a reminder of the devastating impacts of poaching and habitat loss,” Panthera wrote in a statement. “Photos and DNA analysis suggest he might now be the last.”
Panthera believes there is hope for this solitary creature, saying: “This sighting has sparked discussions on what can be done to protect the elephant and the technical feasibility of translocating a group of female and male elephants to restore a breeding population in Niokolo-Koba National Park.”
See trail-cam footage of this rare “ghost elephant” here:
Header stock image by Aida Servi/Getty Images
Best Trail Cameras to Watch Wildlife
- Best Overall: TACRACAM Reveal X Gen 2.0
- Best for Beginners: SPYPOINT LM2
- Best Premium: Cuddeback CuddeLink
- Best Budget: Stealth Cam Browtine
- Best for Birdwatching: Bird Buddy
Learn more about the best trail cams here.
Outdoors.com may earn a commission when you make a purchase through affiliate links. Thank you for your support.
Since it has been determined that “Henry”, the huge Fenykovi elephant, in the Smithsonian, had a father who was a ghost elephant. Does that make him part of the family of ghost elephants that are still alive in small remnants in Angola? Perhaps, if they are not all killed, there can be more elephants that can grow to be over 13 feet tall and weigh 24 thousand pounds. These magnificent beings have a right to survive and that awful little Fenykovi man had no right to murder
“Henry”. He did so because he was so large and the Smithsonian funded him to kill him. There was a second huge elephant he killed at the same time and that one was left to rot as the Smithsonian only paid for one to be brought back. what kind of species are we? How evil can we be?