Endangered Mammals - Elephants

Elephants are the largest land animals on Earth. They are frequently described as the "architects" of the savanna habitats in which they live. Elephants dig water holes, keep forest growth in check, and open up grasslands that support other species, including the livestock of African herders. Elephants are highly intelligent, emotional animals and form socially complex herds. There are two species of elephants, African elephants and Asian elephants, both of which are highly endangered. The African elephant (see Figure 7.9), which sometimes weighs as much as six tons, is the larger species. In 2004 there were an estimated 500,000 African elephants and 50,000 Asian elephants in the wild.

Elephants have huge protruding teeth—tusks—made of ivory. Ivory is valued by humans for several reasons, particularly for use in making jewelry and figurines. Piano keys were also once made almost exclusively of ivory; however, that practice has ceased. The market for ivory has had tragic consequences for African elephants. Their numbers dropped from over 10 million individuals in 1900 to only 600,000 in 1989. As a result of this decline, the UN-administered CITES banned worldwide commerce in ivory and other elephant products in 1990. However, like rhinoceros horns, elephant tusks continue to be illegally traded. Numerous elephants are poached each year. The price of poached elephant ivory is reported to be as high as $90 per pound.

Despite continued poaching, elephant populations have recovered somewhat since receiving CITES protection. In 1997 Zimbabwe requested that CITES change the listing status of the African elephant in three South African nations—Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia— FIGURE 7.9
Elephants are highly intelligent and social animals. Once on the verge of extinction, elephants have recovered somewhat after a worldwide ban on the ivory trade. (Field Mark Publications) from Appendix I status (a species in immediate danger of extinction) to Appendix II status (threatened in the absence of trade controls), and include a yearly quota for ivory trade. South Africa has requested a similar downlisting. Kenya, India, and other nations, along with many environmental organizations, opposed the downlisting, in part because they felt that a reopening of the ivory trade might cause a resurgence in demand and poaching. CITES responded by downlisting the elephant to Appendix II, while simultaneously initiating a program, the Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) to better assess poaching. Although MIKE statistics would not be available until 2003, CITES did approve an experimental interim proposal allowing a one-time sale of stockpiled ivory from Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe to Japan. This one-time ivory transaction was made in 1999 and grossed approximately $5 million.

At the 2000 CITES Conference, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Botswana again petitioned CITES to authorize ivory sales. South Africa also spearheaded a movement to allow the culling of elephants, noting that its national conservation parks were overrun. At South Africa's Kruger Park, for example, 7,000 elephants occupied an area designated to support 5,000 individuals. Under the South African plan, the funding for elephant culling would be obtained through a legitimate, but limited, international trade in ivory and elephant skin. Kenya and India, on the other hand, renewed a request to relist the elephant under CITES Appendix I, as immediately endangered. In the end, the opposing factions reached a compromise in which both proposals were withdrawn—elephants remained listed under Appendix II, and the ban on ivory sales remained in effect.

At the 2002 CITES Conference, CITES conditionally accepted one-time sales by Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa of ivory collected from elephants that died a natural death. However, the sales can occur only after data is collected on poaching and population levels. CITES Secretary-General Willem Wijnstekers said:

The African elephant is valued and admired by people all over the world. But it is significant that today's decision embodies an African solution to an African problem—the challenge of conserving the continent's wild herds of elephants in an age of growing human needs and population. While richer countries can often afford to promote conservation through strict protection, many poorer nations must do so in ways that benefit local communities and bring in much-needed cash for conservation. In the African context, a conservation strategy based on sustainable use may offer elephants the best possible long-term future. The key is finding solutions that benefit states that rely on tourism as well as those that seek income from elephant products.

Although the ivory trade has always been the largest threat to elephants, conflicts between humans and elephants are an increasing issue. The ranges of many elephant herds now extend outside protected refuges, and elephants frequently come into contact with farmers, eating or otherwise destroying crops. Increasing human settlement in areas inhabited by elephants will likely result in more conflicts over time.