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Leaflet For Science

Forest elephants, a subspecies of African elephants found in the Congo Basin, are facing sharp decline due to poaching for ivory. It is estimated that forest elephants make up about a quarter to a third of the total African elephant population. They are uniquely adapted to forest habitats but are threatened by the ivory trade.

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AMPARO, Ara Mhae Villamiel
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74 views2 pages

Leaflet For Science

Forest elephants, a subspecies of African elephants found in the Congo Basin, are facing sharp decline due to poaching for ivory. It is estimated that forest elephants make up about a quarter to a third of the total African elephant population. They are uniquely adapted to forest habitats but are threatened by the ivory trade.

Uploaded by

AMPARO, Ara Mhae Villamiel
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Forest elephants, a distinct

subspecies of African elephants, are


uniquely adapted to the forest habitat
of the Congo Basin, but are in sharp
decline due to poaching for the
international ivory trade. It is
estimated that probably one quarter
to one third of the total African
elephant population is made up of
forest elephants.

FACTS
The African elephant is the largest
animal walking the Earth. Their herds
wander through 37 countries in
Africa. They are easily recognized by
their trunk that is used for
communication and handling objects.
And their large ears allow them to
radiate excess heat. Upper incisor
teeth develop into tusks in African
elephants and grow throughout their
lifetime. There are two subspecies of
African elephants—the Savanna (or
bush) elephant and the Forest
“WE NEED TO
elephant. Savanna elephants are
larger than forest elephants, and their
SAVE
tusks curve outwards. In addition to
being smaller, forest elephants are
ELEPHANT”
darker and their tusks are straighter
and point downward. There are also
differences in the size and shape of
the skull and skeleton between the
two subspecies.
“It takes nothing away from a
human to be kind to an
“WE NEED TO SAVE animal”
ELEPHANT”
HOW CAN YOU
HELP:
Elephant Crisis Fund
Elephants are fast disappearing
from the wild. Without urgent,
international action they could be THREATS
gone within a generation. The
Elephant Crisis Fund HABITAT LOSS AND
FRAGMENTATION
WHY DO WE NEED TO provides rapid, catalytic support
African elephants have less room to
for the most effective projects
SAVE ELEPHANTS? designed to stop the killing, thwart roam than ever before as expanding
traffickers and end the demand for human populations convert land for
ivory. 100% of all donations reach agriculture, settlements and
They are also keystone species,
the field. developments. The elephants’ range
playing an important role in
shrank from three million square miles
maintaining the biodiversity of the
ecosystems in which they live. WHY THEY MATTER in 1979 to just over one million square
miles in 2007. Commercial logging,
During the dry
The presence of African elephants plantations for biofuels and extractive
season, elephants use their tusks to
helps to maintain suitable habitats industries like logging and mining not
dig for water. Wherever they
for many other species. In central only destroy habitat but also open
live, elephants leave dung that is
African forests, up to 30 percent of access to remote elephant forests for
full of seeds from the many plants
tree species may require elephants poachers. Poverty, armed conflict and
they eat. the displacement of people by civil
to help with dispersal and
germination. They play a pivotal role conflict also add to habitat loss and
in shaping their habitat because of fragmentation. All of these push
the enormous impact they have on elephants into smaller islands of
factors ranging from fresh water to protected areas and hinder elephants’
forest cover. freedom to roam.

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