elephants

Human Activities Have Drastically Reduced Habitats for Asian Elephants

Human Activities Have Drastically Reduced Habitats for Asian Elephants

Despite their iconic status and long association with humans, Asian elephants are one of the most endangered large mammals. Believed to number between 45,000 and 50,000 individuals worldwide, they are at risk throughout Asia due to human activities such as deforestation, mining, dam building and road construction, which have damaged numerous ecosystems.

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    Younger Male Elephants Look to Their Elders for Calm, Study Finds

    Younger Male Elephants Look to Their Elders for Calm, Study Finds

    Anyone who has ever spent a cozy afternoon in the presence of a beloved grandparent knows that the wisdom of age can have a calming influence. It turns out that this is true for elephants as well. A new study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B in December found that male elephants […]

    Extremely Rare Pair of Twin African Elephants Born in Kenya

    Extremely Rare Pair of Twin African Elephants Born in Kenya

    A pair of extremely rare twin African elephants have been born in Northern Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve. The baby elephants were discovered by guides from Elephant Watch Camp, who had been trained by Save the Elephants (STE) — a UK charity based in Kenya — to recognize individual elephants and elephant families in the reserve, […]

    Suspected Elephant Kidnappers in Sri Lanka Can Keep the Animals, Court Rules

    Suspected Elephant Kidnappers in Sri Lanka Can Keep the Animals, Court Rules

    By Malaka Rodrigo UDAWALAWE, Sri Lanka — Environmental activists in Sri Lanka have slammed a court order releasing endangered elephants into the custody of individuals suspected of involvement in their illegal capture and trade. Thirty-eight captive Sri Lankan elephants (Elephas maximus maximus) were taken into the custody of the state in 2015 following an investigation […]

    Poaching Drove Mozambique Elephants to Evolve Without Tusks, Study Finds

    Poaching Drove Mozambique Elephants to Evolve Without Tusks, Study Finds

    During Mozambique’s civil war from 1977 to 1992, around 90 percent of the elephants in what is now the Gorongosa National Park were poached for ivory to finance the conflict. This widespread slaughter led to rapid evolution in the span of one generation. Before the conflict, less than a fifth of female elephants were born […]

    Mother Elephant Tramples Crocodile to Death to Protect Her Young

    Mother Elephant Tramples Crocodile to Death to Protect Her Young

    Elephants are known as the gentle giants of the animal kingdom, but even they can get aggressive when their children are threatened. This is what one crocodile learned in a rare video posted Tuesday by the safari footage app Latest Sightings. “This unlucky crocodile found itself right underneath the feet of the world’s largest land […]

    Chinese Elephants on Epic Journey May Be Headed Home

    Chinese Elephants on Epic Journey May Be Headed Home

    For more than a year, a herd of elephants has been on a mysterious journey through southern China. Now, after what is likely the longest-ever trip made by elephants in the country, the wanderers may finally be heading home. The 14-strong herd was guided across the Yuanjiang river in the province of Yunnan, China Sunday […]

    UK to Ban Keeping Elephants Captive in Zoos and Safari Parks

    UK to Ban Keeping Elephants Captive in Zoos and Safari Parks

    The UK is preparing to pass an animal rights bill that includes a series of protections for elephants, including keeping them from being placed in captivity in zoos and safari parks. The Animal Welfare Bill is set to pass later this year, sponsored by Environment Minister Zac Goldsmith, and includes other zoo reforms, according to […]

    15 Elephants Are on a Mysterious, Epic Journey Across China

    15 Elephants Are on a Mysterious, Epic Journey Across China

    Fifteen Asian elephants are in the middle of an epic journey across a Chinese province, and no one knows why. The herd of elephants first left their home in the Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve in the spring of last year. Since then, they have covered a distance of more than 300 miles in what experts […]