Page 75 - World of Animals - Issue #30

CONSERVING

THE ELEPHANT

Millions of years ago,

elephants were one of the
most successful animals on

Earth; now, both the African
and Asian species are on the

brink of extinction

Words Naomi Harding

Elephants are the largest land animals on the planet. Once
widespread, African elephants roamed the savannah in
their millions and Asian elephants were found from Syria
to northern China. Today there are around 700,000
African elephants and just 50,000 Asian elephants
remaining in the wild.
Elephants play a crucial role in ecosystem function. The
habitats they live in would look completely different if
they were to become extinct. As the herds roam across
the land they pull down trees with their trunks, open
salt licks by churning the soil, dig waterholes to bathe

in, and trample trails which act as firebreaks. Even their
droppings are of great value. Baboons sift through in
search of undigested nuts, and dung beetles take refuge
to mate and reproduce. Elephants quite literally shape
their environment; they are responsible for creating and
maintaining the open grasslands that many other animals
depend on.
These great giants have been on Earth for 55 million
years and through fossil records it’s estimated there were
once 350 species of elephant. Sadly only two species
remain today as a consequence of habitat loss, poaching

and human-wildlife conflict. In southern and eastern
Africa, populations seem to be increasing thanks to the
success of conservancies and charity work. Unfortunately
the same cannot be said for the rest of Africa, nor for
Asian elephants, where much work is still needed to
safeguard these incredible animals.

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