Elephants Endangered
Are Elephants Endangered?
That's a good question, given the fact that these animals number in the thousands today, and not in the millions, as was once the case. Elephants are widespread in Africa, with the two species, the Savannah elephant and the Forest elephant. Both exist in reasonably large numbers. At one time, elephants are believed to have ranged over much of the continent, with the possible exception of the extreme northern parts. Today, their habitat extends from the sub-Saharan region to the most southern areas of the continent.
The elephant population suffered greatly over the past two centuries due in large part to the ivory trade, where the animal was hunted and killed for its valuable tusks. The past several decades have seen a moratorium on international ivory trading put in place, and enforced. Whether or not this moratorium will ever be made permanent is unknown at this time. However it has definitely helped to stabilize the elephant population. Elephants still face a threat from humans as incidents of poaching are still common, and the elephant has to compete with growing human populations in some places. The elephant finds a home in over half of the sub-Sahara countries, some of which, particularly those in east Africa and the southern parts of Africa, do a better job of protecting the animals than do others.
The African elephant - endangered primarily by the human population, has a problem of being too big to hide, and compounds the problem by leaving many traces behind as it travels from place to place. The elephant, in search of food, will not hesitate to uproot trees. This can have a beneficial effect in some areas, such as heavily forested and jungle environments, but can be quite destructive in other places. The elephant is also known as a destroyer of crops. Individual elephants, and even small herds, are often killed when this occurs.
An effort that is showing signs of success is the placement of elephants in protected areas, such as national parks. Some new national parks have been established in Africa in recent years, and others have expanded in size. In addition, elephants are being relocated into some of the parks, no small task given the size and weight of the animal, plus the fact that they usually must be transported as they cannot be herded.
The issue with the Asian elephant is somewhat different. Of the four subspecies of Asian elephant (actually 3, if it is indeed true that the Borneo pygmy elephant is a separate species), only the Indian elephant exists in large numbers. The Sri Lankan elephant, the Sumatra elephant, and the Borneo elephant exist in very small numbers, a few thousand each, and are therefore more susceptible to the threat of eventual extinction. A primary factor in helping the Asian elephants survive is that they can be domesticated, and are very useful workers in areas such as logging. This, and the fact that they are highly prized animals, gives them an element of protection. In the wild of course, they still compete with humans for habitat, and can be quite dangerous in such situations. Several hundred people are killed by elephants every year, both by individuals, and by herds on a rampage.
Hopefully, a balance can be found in the ongoing competition between elephants and humans for space on this planet, and elephants endangered or not, will always have room to roam.