African Elephant Population Research Paper

&An. : Ivory is a very special material used for lots of things, but it comes at the price of hundreds of innocent elephants being killed for a small amount of material, and it’s really affecting the elephant population

An endangered species is a plant or an animal at risk of becoming extinct. Scientists have estimated that up to one-third of species in the U.S. are at a high risk of extinction. In addition to donating millions of acres of land, this is essential to the recovery and survival of the endangered; the Act has shown a ninety percent recovery rate for species in the U.S. The main causes of endangerment include loss of habitat, excessive hunting, and pollution.

any endangered species are located near places with extreme poverty. In this century, over half of the world's wildlife may become extinct. Not long ago, all of the Earth's ecosystem was able to support vast numbers of creatures. Much of the earth's wildlife is now in danger of disappearing because there are no places for them to go. 25% of all mammals are at threat of extinction, as well as two thirds of all birds. The sixth extinction will not come from outer space, but will happen because of humans. China has over come the United States in food consumption. This could prove to be a very big problem is there's over 1 billion people that live in China. The farmers in China have increased the livestock had from 100 million, to over 400 million. This has devastated the environment very much.

The official title of the world’s largest land dwelling animal belongs to the elephant, more specifically, the African elephant. Elephants also are some of the most deadly animals, which therefore increase the danger of human and elephant interactions. The more human interactions occur, the more deaths result, whether it is the elephant or the human who dies. These animals, surprisingly, are socially apt; their trunk is used for more than just eating and drinking- it is used for socializing. They are complex animals who live in large familial herds-females stay with their family throughout their entire lives while males only stay for approximately fifteen years (Elephant Protection, 1). Elephants possess a great memory and only forget what they learn occasionally and rarely, giving way to the “an elephant never forgets” saying (Maloiy, 178c). Despite how many people use the beloved saying, elephants may not be around much longer due to the shortened life span and increased mortality rates. Due to their incisor teeth, tusks, being extremely expensive and profitable, they are being murdered for the wealth they carry. This, coupled with the life span shortening because of malicious treatments and brutal practices reduces the life span of the African elephant from 56 to 16 years and the Asian elephant from 42 to 19 years (Elephant Protection, 1). According to what the statistics show, elephants may be following their ancestors to their death. Of the group of mammals called

Provide at least one example each of a threatened, endangered, and extinct species, and explain why these

Biodiversity loss threatens to disrupt the function of ecosystems, with the potential of consequences for humans as well. Often this loss is measured by species extinction rates, but considerations should be made to include population diversity with measures including changes in size, number, distribution and genetic composition of population and potential implications those changes may have (Luck et al., 2003). Avise (2004) goes as far as to say biodiversity is genetic

Throughout evolution, many species have come and gone. What causes a species to become extinct and what can the human race due to prevent it? Many species’ population decline has been linked to human causation. An endangered species is defined as “plant and animal species that are at risk for extinction” (Funk). Endangered species can be placed into two more specific categorizes. Threatened species are species at risk for endangerment, while endangered species are at risk for extinction. Despite the fact that many people believe extinction is a major issue, the Funk and Wagnall’s New World Encyclopedia states that, “extinction is actually a normal process in the course of evolution” (Funk). Over time, numerous species have become extinct, usually as a result of climate changes, inability to adapt, or predation. Another major cause of endangerment is the human population. Pollution, global warming, and hunting is all causing a decline in the population of numerous species. While the encyclopedia is entirely fact based, many authors have worked to sensitize people to threatened species. For example, renowned author Sharon Begley, has written numerous articles to inform people of the importance of many species that are often overlooked.

The African Bush elephants are found in eastern and southern Africa. Some of the areas with the highest densities of the Bush elephant is: Tanzania, South African, Kenya, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia. The African Bush elephant is terrestrial. The Bush elephant usually live in the grasslands, semi-deserts and the bush lands. They also clear out forest and turn them into more of grassland, by knocking down the trees. The climate that the Bush elephant normally lives in is dry and hot. Their thin hairs and ears help them stay cool. Another way that they stay cool is that their hides become more permeable in the heat. Scientists has performed research on 13 elephants (African and Asian), they measure the release of heat and moisture. What they have found was that their skin opens up at air temperatures as low at 10°C to 12°C, this is what allows them to perspire. Elephants are different than most mammals, that sweats through glands connected to pores, elephants only have pores between their toes. Elephants do not sweat (Phillips, 1992). By all of the skin being permeable they lose more

800,000 seems like a huge number until it becomes clear that it used to be several million (“Basic Facts About Elephants”). Most would never guess that these numbers are those of the elephant population. Everyday the population gets smaller and smaller, and humans are the reason why, but also the only way to get those numbers back up. The elephant population has decreased immensely and could vanish if steps are not taken, humans are the only hope for seizing the poaching, ivory trade, and habitat takeover.

During the 18th century ivory dominated the trade of the colonies in northern Mozambique, but the demand for slaves in the begging of the 19th century changed this scenario of hunting for elephants in East Africa. Now,

Imagine growing up without knowing elephants. There is no elephant stuffed animals, children's books with elephants, or elephants at the zoo. This may be the case in just a few years. The number of elephant fatalities is rising every year and presents itself as a global issue. Not only does the ivory poaching industry impact elephants, it impacts the entire ecosystem. If elephant poaching continues at this alarming rate, there is a high probability of extinction within the next couple of years. There is a need for stricter laws to be intact and higher consequences for poachers.

Over the last 100 years, African elephant populations have declined from 3-5 million to 470,000-690,000 and Asian elephant populations have declined from 100,000 to between 35,000 and 50,000. Habitat loss and conflict with people are among the biggest threats to their continued survival. Elephant habitat is being replaced by farms and villages. Not only are elephants being pushed into smaller and smaller areas, but the crops that are planted by farmers (sugar cane, cassava, rice) are very tempting for elephants. As a result, elephants frequently raid and destroy crops and villages. People are often injured and killed by elephants during conflict. Elephants are killed in retaliation for the damage that they cause.

"The price of ivory" written by Suzanne Zimbler (APRIL 19, 2013). In this article, they mostly indicate about ivory trade and killing elephant for their ivory. The ivory trade is the most serious peril to elephants. Behind the numerous features of the present emergency is the swelling interest for ivory. The ivory is frequently cut into decorations and gems and China is the greatest buyer advertise for such items. The murdering of elephants for their ivory is the reason for huge misfortunes in numbers and also enduring to people. It is apparent that a solitary nation can't effectively battle poaching and the loss of elephant natural surroundings. The world needs to join more than ever in the event that we need to spare our residual

“We are experiencing what is likely to be the greatest percentage loss of elephants in history,” said Richard G. Ruggiero, an official with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (Ney York Times; December 3, 2012). The poaching of elephants started in the late 1800’s and is still happening today. People are slaughtering these majestic animals for their ivory tusks. Ivory has been sold on the black market for millions of dollars. Before the start of ivory poaching there were millions of elephants in the world in both Africa and India, but today because of the hunting for ivory, there are barely any of these giants left in the wild. Throughout history Europeans have been moving in on central African states to make

Endangered species help to gauge the health of ecosystems and can help individuals become more conscious of their environments and conservation issues around the globe. In recent years, various species and subspecies of rhinoceros have become threatened, endangered, and even extinct. One such subspecies, which was not only endangered, but has been declared extinct inhabitat as of June 26, 2013, is Africa's Western black rhino (Lavina, 2013).