The relationship between the elephants and the people of Mali becomes more tenuous as water and resources become scarce, but there still seems to be a respectful distance kept at most times:
"The women are more afraid of the elephants but they are very respectful of them. Everyone loves the elephants and they are a point of interest," Houdret says. "I've never seen such a peaceful relationship between people and elephants. At this point poaching is not a big deal here because the elephant tusks are too small. The historic aspects of the relationship between people and elephants is awesome. The desert is making conditions harder for elephants and humans and creating competition. In other places, the conservation strategy for elephants is to turn them into financial gain and make them a tourist attraction. By introducing tourists here, it would be upsetting a natural balance that is already there. It's a tricky one."