Loss of habitats, human-child conflicts and climate change also threaten their survival. Elephants usually give birth to only one calf at a time, although sometimes twins appear. In their lives (elephants can live in nature for up to 70 years!) a female elephant can dramblys give birth to up to 12 calves. They are still a powerful animal, female elephants or “cows” and weigh only 6,000 to 8,000 pounds. African elephants are largely at risk due to human greed for ivory, which elephants had to hunt and kill for their valuable fangs.
Both male and female African elephants have fangs that keep teeth growing. The elephants in the savannah have curved fangs while the fangs of the forest elephants are straight. They use these fangs to look for food and water and to remove the bark from the trees.
African elephants are the largest land animals in the world today. According to National Geographic, the average African elephant is 2.5 to 4 m high, measured from shoulder to to toe. The average African elephant weighs between £ 5,000 and £ 14,000. However, the largest African elephant ever recorded was found in Angola and swung with a huge 24,000 pounds . Modern elephants could come closest to dinosaurs, at least when it comes to their gigantic size.
Although significant elephant populations are now limited to well-protected areas, less than 20% of the African elephant habitat is under formal protection. In Asia, an average of 70% of the wild elephant population live outside of protected areas. We are committed to large nature reserves such as KAZA, which is located in southern Africa and is the largest cross-border land protection area in the world.
They are most common in savannas, grasslands and forests, but occupy a variety of habitats, including deserts, swamps and highlands in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and Asia. The conflict between humans and elephants not only leads to negative interactions and loss of income, property and life, but also reduces the tolerance of the community towards the conservation of elephants. Addressing complex issues such as human-child conflicts requires approaches that not only reduce the immediate effects of negative interactions, but also address the drivers and main causes of conflicts.
The elephant is one of the most easily recognizable animals worldwide. African elephants and Asian elephants are real gentle giants. Many of us saw them in zoos, and some of us were even lucky enough to see them in their natural habitats.
Read on for more information on these amazing creatures and what you can do to protect and preserve your population. Global concerns about the decline of the elephant led to a complete ban on ivory trade in 1990 and temporarily reduced the decline in elephant populations. Nevertheless, illegal elephant hunting has increased dramatically in the past ten years. The main cause appears to be the greater wealth of historic ivory-consuming nations, particularly China, and the increase associated with the demand for ivory products. At this rate, the African elephant is at risk of putting itself in danger.
Unfortunately, elephant populations in Africa and Asia are threatened by negative interactions with humans. The word “elephant” comes from the Greek word “elephas”, which means ivory, and unfortunately it was the ivory trade that led to the elimination of around 90% of African elephants in the last century. Despite its illegality, poaching of elephants in parts of Africa has deteriorated dramatically in the past 10 years, mainly due to the growing demand for ivory in China and the Far East. It is believed that around 20,000 African elephants are killed by their ivory each year.