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§ 1. Once there were millions of
elephants roaming our continents. Unfortunately, their numbers have been
reduced so much that they are now in danger of extinction. The two species of
elephants left on earth today are the African and the Asianelephants. The
African elephant is threatened and the Asian elephant is in serious danger.
§ 2. Although some progress has been made over the past few years to protect
the elephant, a lot more needs to be done. A large number of male Asian
elephants are being killed for their ivory tusks, but the biggest threat to the
survival of the elephant is the loss of their habitat.
§ 3. One fifth of the earth’s human population live in Asia and their
activities are squeezing elephants out. Today, there are probably fewer than
35,000 elephants living in the wild in Asia. That may sound like a big number
but in fact the reality is that their future is not guaranteed. One of the
reasons is that they are split into small, vulnerable groups, another is that,
as there are not enough males, reproduction rates are falling. In fact, Asian
elephants are in so much danger that some experts estimate that they could
disappear in fewer than twenty years.
§ 4. So what can be done to reverse this trend? Protecting the elephant will
take a lot of work and determination from a lot of different sources and,
fortunately, certain players have taken steps in this direction. In May 1989,
due to pressure from conservationists and animal protectionists, the United States, Canada, Australia, the
European Community and a few other countries banned the commercial import of
ivory. From 1990 onwards ivory, body parts and live elephants (excluding zoo
animals) cannot be imported or exported from or to these countries.
§ 5. In another attempt to save the elephant, protectionists have started
breeding elephants in captivity. Since 1990 for example, Ringling Bros. Circus
has bred 16 elephants and a total of 42 elephants have been bred in captivity
in North America. Circus elephants live longer than elephants in the wild; in
captivity, they can live up to 60 or 70 years while in the wild a female
elephant lives to 50 years and a male elephant only to 30 years.
§ 6. It is hoped that if more people see elephants in zoos and circuses, they
will be more likely to protect them.
