Venkatesh N. Murthy

R868 Current Biology 26, R865–R881, October 10, 2016 problems. In the opening speech at the Inaugural Giants Club Summit held on 29th April 2016 at Laikipia, Kenya, Save the Elephants founder Iain Douglas-Hamilton laid out his hopes and fears for the future of the animal species for which he has worked for more than half a century. In the worst case, Douglas-Hamilton concluded, corruption and criminality could prevail over all conservation efforts, causing great damage both to wildlife and humans. In this case, he said, “I fear if killing elephants for ivory continues at the present rate that the surviving elephants become fi erce and dangerous, reduced to small isolated populations, living in dense thickets, a danger to human beings and with no long-term viability. This could be an eradication of the wonderful, peaceful animals that are viewable by thousands of people from Africa and overseas who come to see them.” However, he ended on a positive note expressing that his hopes were stronger than his fears, and highlighting the case of Botswana as an example of a successful conservation programme, concluding: “I have hope that through intelligent planning, based on sound knowledge, elephants can continue to play their role in preserving Africa’s great forests, and with them the water, climate and other ecosystem benefi ts that result from their survival.”