Elephants in Danger
Precious, Profitable Tusks
Poachers have been hugely responsible for the risk elephants now face for survival. The ivory trade encourages the poaching and slaughter of adult beasts for their long, white tusks. An international ban on the trade of ivory in 1989 helped some herds recover. Before the ban, in the 1980s, some herds lost nearly 80% of their members due to the quest for ivory.
Poaching Continues
Despite the ivory ban, trade continues and demand is steady, creating an environment where poaching and illegal trafficking still exist. Demand in Asia for goods made from ivory has been responsible for creating this lucrative market, which has led to a vastly diminished number of forest elephants and some savannah elephants.
Asian Elephant Populations Dwindling
Populations of the smaller-eared Asian elephants have dropped by at least 50% over the last three generations. They continue to be in decline. There are only 40,000 to 50,000 left in the wild. Though these animals are smaller than African elephants, their tusks are also in demand and poaching is one of the biggest reasons they're so at risk for extinction and classified as endangered.
Trophy Hunting Takes Out Most Adaptable Species
Trophy hunting, which tends to focus on the largest animals on Earth, is accelerating the damage climate change is having on living animals. A group of researchers recently argued that the world's largest animals might be the most evolutionarily adaptable to environmental changes due to global warming. With each loss from a trophy hunter, an animal that might have passed on genes that would help the next generation be better adaptable, is taken out, leaving even those that are not killed for sport more vulnerable.
Loss of Habitat
Surging populations around the world, including in Africa and Asia, lead to habitat loss for animals. Forests are cleared for roads and housing. Towns and cities spread into what was once the wilderness. In addition to the ivory trade, habitat loss is another huge factor in pushing elephants toward extinction. These enormous animals, who can walk up to 195 kilometers per day on average, want space to roam and places to forage.
Encroachment and Conflict
Elephant habitats are shrinking in Africa and Asia, while human populations surge. The two groups are coming into close contact in some regions, which is causing human-elephant conflict. Elephants raid the food stores of humans as their foraging areas shrink, creating economic loss and danger for humans, as well as feelings of ill will toward these mighty beasts.
