Elephant Conservation

The International Elephant Foundation (IEF) supports and operates worldwide conservation and education programs of Asian and African elephants in human care. Both of the species are now threatened by habitat loss and unabated poaching.

AFRICAN ELEPHANT

The African elephants is the largest living land mammal, with males reaching a height of 13-14 feet and a weight of 7 to 8 tons. Females are typically smaller in size and weight. They have large ears that almost cover its shoulders; a trunk with two finger-like appendages and at the tip; and both sexes typically grow exposed tusks, but the males’ tusks are longer and heavier. The African elephant occupies a variety of habitats, from open grassland to forested areas to mountainous regions to semi-desert. Its distribution includes most of the African continent.

ASIAN ELEPHANTS

The Asian elephant is slightly smaller than the African elephants, reaching a height of 12-13 feet and a weight of 5 to 6 tons. Female elephants are typically smaller in size and weight than the males. The elephants have small, square ears, and relatively smooth skin that is often densely freckled. The tip of the trunk has only a single projection or “finger.”In this species, only the male has long tusks, while females have short tusks hidden under their upper lip called “tushes”.Asian elephants are herbivores, and are primarily browsers, eating the leaves and bark of bushes and trees. An Elephant can consume 150 to 300 pounds of food in a day. Because of its great size, strength and need for enormous quantities of food and water, it requires a large amount of habitat.

Behavior: Elephants have a complex social structure. In the wild they live in family groups led by mature female elephants, their young and sometimes older bull elephants. Mature male elephants are often solitary or live in small groups of male elephants only. Elephants live up to 70 years old and can sleep while standing. Tame elephants are made to sit or lie down while its trainer or mahout attends to it, in the wild however an elephant will not lie down unless it is sick.

Elephants enjoy wallowing in water, which helps clean their skin, which does not have any sweat glands. Adult male elephants around the age of 20 undergo a phase of heightened sexual urge known as "musth." Male elephants become aggressive and violent for a phase lasting up to 60 days. This phase recurs periodically through an adult male elephant's life.

Status: Indian Elephants are threatened by poaching for their tusks, by the loss of habitat due to human pressure on forested areas and due to human conflict. The isolated populations of wild elephants in individual wildlife sanctuaries are also threatened by loss of genetic diversity. Recently a number of corridors connecting wildlife sanctuaries have been established to encourage the migration of wild elephants.

Tourists can see the Indian Elephant in most of the national parks in India while traveling on India wildlife tours: Periyar National Park in Kerala in South India and Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand in North India, are some of the best sanctuaries where Indian elephants can be observed in their natural habitat.

ELEPHANT CONSERVATION EFFORTS

Efforts for the conservation of the Elephant in India were initiated in 1873 with the promulgation of the Madras Wild Elephant Preservation Act, 1873. But the earlier laws were quite liberal as regards capturing of elephants and permitted their killing under the pretext of protecting crop and public property. No attempt was made to control the ivory trade and protect habitat of elephants. As a result, elephant population in the country continued to decline. The elephant was included in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 on 5.10.1977. A number of legislative measures were taken in the subsequent years which resulted in controlling the process of deforestation of elephant habitat and prohibiting ivory trade. Attempts for the conservation of elephants got a big boost in February 1992 when Government of India launched Project Elephant. As a result of various conservation measures, elephants now enjoy a comprehensive legal support and their population has gone up from 15,627 in 1980 to 28,274 in 2001. There has also been some reduction in the cases of human deaths caused by elephants. But the overall status of elephants and their habitat continues to be precarious. Incidences of killing of elephants by poachers for ivory and by farmers in retaliation to crop damage, are on the increase. Habitats and corridors of elephants are under tremendous pressure in many States on account of deforestation, encroachment and other biotic factors. In some regions, poaching of tuskers has disturbed the sex-ratio in elephant populations to alarming proportions. Human-elephant conflict has become a serious issue and the people are turning hostile to elephants and the forest staff. Status of domesticated elephants in India is also not satisfactory. The veterinary support for elephants is not adequate. It is necessary to make systematic and sustained efforts to deal with various problems concerning conservation of elephants. The conservation strategies should also strive to nature and encourage the love and sympathy that a large number of people in India still have for elephants.