Wild Africa

Rod

The sun is setting on the Elephant’s survival. The largest land mammal in the world once ranged all across Africa and into Asia. Their numbers, which were around 8 million 90 years ago, have significantly declined at an accelerating rate, currently up to 27,000 per year. There are now less than 700,000 elephants in Africa and 40,000 in Asia. The primary reasons for this are poaching and habitat loss followed by habitat fragmentation from human settlements and road construction. Poaching — the most egregious assault — is driven by the world’s demand for Ivory, particularly coveted in China where it is considered a status symbol. One pound can fetch as much as $1000, more than a year’s salary for many Africans. Elephants are hunted and slaughtered just for the tusks, with their carcasses often left to rot and their babies abandoned! With the savanna being converted to farmland and their species being hunted down for their teeth, children's books may one day show elephants as imaginary creatures, just as dinosaurs are depicted today. The advancement of human civilization has created a backward step for much of the natural world, a trend we can't ignore at our own peril.

Nature