Jasper Doest
Fight to the Death,2021
Lopé National Park, Gabon
Category - Humanity versus Nature
A tragic reminder of the consequences of human-animal conflict, this enraged elephant fights for its life after it was struck by a train transporting manganese through Lopé National Park in Gabon, between Moanda and Libreville. The animal’s hip was shattered beyond repair. The elephant was unable to be saved, and following the elephant’s death the park director took the necessary steps to ensure its meat was distributed to the local community. Despite the danger posed by regular train accidents in Lopé National Park and the director’s efforts to identify potential conflict areas, the railway company has declined to take action and continues to ignore the risk of running trains at full speed through the park. This is primarily due to the economic pressure of transporting Gabon’s second largest export product, manganese, which accounts for 11% of the country’s exports.
24-90 mm f/2.8-4 Lens - 1/125 sec at f/11 ISO 125