Elephants Habitat
A Few Facts About Elephant’s Habitat
Because elephants range over such wide areas, elephant’s habitat is not always easy to define or pinpoint. Also the elephant, unlike most other animals, will on occasion fashion or modify its own habitat, at least in a local area. Still, a few general facts regarding their habitat are fairly well known.
The African elephant is divided into two species, the Savannah elephant (sometimes called the Bush elephant), which prefers grasslands and savanna, and the Forest elephant which lives in the tropical rain forests. When one considers that the both species of the African elephant are found over wide areas, covering most of the continent south of the Sahara desert region, it's not surprising to find them not only in forests and grasslands, but in river valleys and semi-desert regions as well. The animal is very adaptable, in that it can, and will, eat almost any type of vegetation. As long as there is something green, and sufficient water, the elephant can usually make do.
The principal habitats of the Asian elephants are not terribly different than that of their African cousins. They are found in tropical grasslands, and in rain forests. While spread throughout much of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, the Asian elephant herds are becoming increasingly isolated and fragmented, as competition with humans for space has grown. Yet, the animal will be found in the tropical jungles of Sri Lanka and Malaysia, as well as in grassy highlands near the Himalayas, in India and Nepal.
Where once the African and Asian elephants would migrate from place to place in search for new sources of food and water, many of these migration paths have been cut off. Fortunately, more and more countries have established large wildlife protection areas, including national parks, where many of the elephant herds now find a home. When one considers that an elephant may consume up to 300 pounds of vegetation a day, and drink 50 gallons of water per day, it's little wonder that they do not stay in one place for extended periods of time. Elephants will, when necessary, travel long distances in search of new sources of water, which they instinctively are very good at locating. They will even dig for water with their tusks, when sensing it is present beneath the surface.
Preserving elephant’s habitat has become a very large operation in many countries, in both Africa and Asia. Finding suitable habitat, far removed from farmer's croplands, can be a challenge, as the elephant's need for space is considerable. An individual elephant, or a small herd, can destroy a small farmer's crops in a day. When that happens, incidents flare up, with casualties and fatalities often suffered by both sides.
The World Wildlife Fund is supporting efforts on both continents to help ensure sufficient elephants habitat can be set aside to preserve the species. The Asian elephant perhaps enjoys one advantage over the African elephant, as at least two of the three subspecies can be domesticated and in that sense given even greater protection.