...At one point in time the African elephant roamed a majority of the African Continent. In the early twentieth century it was estimated that approximately seven to ten million African elephants roamed the plains of Africa. In the most recent estimates this number had plummeted to a sparse three hundred thousand individuals and continues to decline at a rapid pace. Due to the incorrigible demand for ivory, along with habitat loss as a consequence of human settlement, has led to a sudden and steep decline decline in the populations of the elephants of Africa. Why does it matter that elephants are coming to extinction? The fact that many people fail to recognize is that elephants are a keystone species of the African ecosystem. For this reason the...
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...Population growth concerns of African forest elephants A scientific paper recently written by Turkalo et al, Slow intrinsic growth rate in forest elephants, indicates that the recovery of African forest elephants, Loxodonta cyclotis, from poaching will require several decades. This species of African elephant has been experiencing continual population declines driven by illegal killing (poaching) and natural habitat range loss. These scientists completed the 1st ever demographic study on African forest elephant populations. Since 2002, it’s estimated that their population has decreased by 62% and that they have lost 30% of their habitat range. Using data collected in Dzanga forest, located in the Central African Republic, scientists found that...
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...Aladdin is a full grown 14,000 pound African elephant that on average is estimated to walk a distance of 30 miles every single day (Neyman 1). Zoos are unable to provide a vast amount of space to fit animal needs. Due to the facility being unable to meet Aladdin's need to have an abundance in space he can develop physical and emotional problems. Catherine Doyle, director of the elephant campaign For In Defence of Animals, stated that, "Zoos are incapable of providing the space and natural conditions that elephants need, If they can’t they shouldn’t keep elephants” (Reeves 1). This beautiful living creature is being confined in the tight space that just depresses him. Not to mention that Aladdin has no mate or even another elephant to keep him company which adds to the development of health problems. The ethical treatment of animals in captivity needs to improve significantly because keeping animals in closed proximities deprives them of their most basic needs, causes psychological problems, and also increases stress. The animals kept in zoos are restricted by the rules and regulations set by management. The zoo's set so many restrictions towards the animals due to safety regulations. The management in the zoo's decides everything for the...
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...STUDENT INFORMATION | Your Name Ecology StudentDate August 7, 2012Assignment No. 2 | NEWS ARTICLE INFORMATION | News Article Title TRee Loss Used to Guage Elephant Popultaion HealthNews Article Date August 7, 2012 News Website ENN-Enviornmental News Network URL of News Article http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/44771 | NEWS ARTICLE AUTHOR(S) | Author 1 none listedAuthor 2 Author 3 | SCHOLARLY JOURNAL INFORMATION | *Name of Scholarly Journal Ecology Letters*Journal Article Title Landscape-scale effects of herbivores on treefall in African savannasURL of Journal Article http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2012.01842.x/abstract*Date of Journal Article Publication August 5, 2012Funding Source/Support (if available) This research was funded by the Andrew Mellon Foundation. The Carnegie Airborne Observatory is supported by the W.M. Keck Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore foundation, the Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, and William Hearst III. | RESEARCHER(S) – AFLLIATION(S) | Researcher/Journal Article Author Gregory P. Asner University/Agency Affiliation Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution, Stanford, CA, USAResearcher/Journal Article Author Shaun R. Levick University/Agency Affiliation Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution, Stanford, CA, USA, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany Researcher/Journal...
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...This paper aims to look at the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and role it plays within the sustainable use paradigm in Zimbabwe in particular and some of the countries in Southern Africa. Here we will understand the meaning or definition of CITES and how the CITES convention has played a great role in the countries in Africa and around the world. To begin this discussion it is important to understand what the CITES Convention was all about. CITES was established as a response to growing concerns that over-exploitation of wildlife through international trade was contributing to the rapid decline of many species of plants and animals around the world. The Convention was signed by representatives from 80 countries in Washington, DC, United States, on 3 March 1973, and entered into force on 1 July 1975. As of December 2008, there are 173 parties to the Convention. The aim of CITES is to ensure that international trade of wild animal and plant species does not threaten their survival. The Convention's conservation goals are to: monitor and stop commercial international trade in endangered species; maintain species under international commercial exploitation; and assist countries toward sustainable use of species through international trade. CITES parties regulate wildlife trade through controls and regulations on species listed in three appendices. Appendix I lists species endangered due to international trade. Trade in such species is permitted...
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...Elephants are large mammals of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea. Traditionally, two species are recognised, the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), although some evidence suggests that African bush elephants and African forest elephants are separate species (L. africana and L. cyclotis respectively). Elephants are scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa, and South and Southeast Asia. They are the only surviving proboscideans; extinct species include mammoths and mastodons. The largest living terrestrial animals, male African elephants can reach a height of 4 m (13 ft) and weigh 7,000 kg (15,000 lb). These animals have several distinctive features, including a long proboscis or trunk used for many purposes, particularly for grasping objects. Their incisors grow into tusks, which serve as tools for moving objects and digging and as weapons for fighting. The elephant's large ear flaps help to control the temperature of its body. African elephants have larger ears and concave backs while Asian elephants have smaller ears and convex or level backs. Elephants are herbivorous and can be found in different habitats including savannahs, forests, deserts and marshes. They prefer to stay near water. They are considered to be keystone species due to their impact on their environments. Other animals tend to keep their distance, and predators such as lions, tigers, hyenas and wild dogs usually target only the young elephants (or...
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...something great and invincible, like evil or truth, waiting patiently for the passing away of this fantastic invasion.”(page72) This quote offers Marlow’s first impression of the Central Station. The word “ivory” seems to be something he hears all too often now that he works for this company. To them, it is far more than just the tusk of an elephant or rhinoceros; it represents an economic freedom that companies have never seen or experienced. These companies are running amuck doing as they please with no thought of how their actions affect the people or animals of Africa they simply only care about “Ivory” and its economic value. Marlow’s reference to a decaying corpse is both literal and figurative: elephants and the African people both die as a result of the European’s pursuit for ivory and the entire enterprise of the ivory trade is just rotten at the core. This is true in the cruelties and the greed that are both part of a greater evil of how money corrupts the soul of every human, instead of thinking of each other you start to be selfish and be narcissistic to the core of your humanity. I see these companies creating an “African Holocaust” as Joseph Conrad says himself. This quote is why I see the book is titled as Heart Of Darkness, the Ivory trade is routed in greed and evil that corrupts the heart into darkness all the way to the core, but it could also be to the state of...
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...to have their cubs in. Polar bears usually have only two cubs, and only come out in the spring. Polar bears usually eat seals, waiting under the ice breathing from holes in the ice. Baby polar bears usually starve before their third birthday; other polar bears often die from oil spills and melting ice. In the safari, some animals that could be found are, zebras, crocodiles, African elephants, and rhinos. These animals live in some warmer climates and have adapted for survival. Zebras have any natural predators such as loins, spotted hyenas, leopards, and cheetahs. Zebras prefer to eat short grass, but will eat tall grass if needed. Zebras are more likely to have a chance to escape predators if in a herd, rather than if alone. Crocodiles are usually more aggressive than their relatives, alligators. Small crocodiles usually feed on fish and aquatic animals, while larger ones eat mammals and birds. African elephants are the largest land animal on earth, weighing from 5,000 to 14,000 pounds. Both male and female African elephants have large tusks, but many humans are hunting elephants to get the ivory that the...
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...anymore, not even the zoo. Well it’s a tragedy that is very possible and is happening here in our realm. Poaching in Africa is very natural, although globally illegal, and any animal is susceptible to these executioners. Not only are animals being affected by poachers, but also tribes that occupy the lands rely on the animals for food. The result of so many animals being poached in areas that tribes employ, the tribes are being malevolently accused of the rapid decline of the animal population. Most of the animals being poached will, most likely, be extinct in years to come due to the rapid decline of animals such as elephants and rhinos. As viewers of these malicious transgressions, it is our duty to become protectors of these magnificent creatures before they become extinct. It’s our time to act. Please help these defenseless creatures. Explain the Issue: In...
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...What Is the Use of Elephant Hair? Conor L. Myhrvold1, Howard A. Stone2, Elie Bou-Zeid1* 1 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America, 2 Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America Abstract The idea that low surface densities of hairs could be a heat loss mechanism is understood in engineering and has been postulated in some thermal studies of animals. However, its biological implications, both for thermoregulation as well as for the evolution of epidermal structures, have not yet been noted. Since early epidermal structures are poorly preserved in the fossil record, we study modern elephants to infer not only the heat transfer effect of present-day sparse hair, but also its potential evolutionary origins. Here we use a combination of theoretical and empirical approaches, and a range of hair densities determined from photographs, to test whether sparse hairs increase convective heat loss from elephant skin, thus serving an intentional evolutionary purpose. Our conclusion is that elephants are covered with hair that significantly enhances their thermoregulation ability by over 5% under all scenarios considered, and by up to 23% at low wind speeds where their thermoregulation needs are greatest. The broader biological significance of this finding suggests that maintaining a low-density hair cover can be evolutionary purposeful...
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...Can endangered species of the world rely on the international law for their safety? Discuss This essay will attempt to discuss how the international law protects endangered species of the world. Using academic commentary and legislation it will also review the ethical, philosophical, economical and moral aspects of this area of law. The essay will also draw attention to the current issue, which has been a controversy in the preservation of endangered species of the world, but will particularly pay more attention to the protection of whales. Ever since the days of illustrious philosophers such Plato, Aristotle, Descartes to the modern scientists there has been a lengthy wait in fighting for laws and acts to protect animals in keeping them in good health and their populations high in numbers. Long ago, most animals became extinct because of natural events, like earthquakes or volcano eruptions. Climatic changes were also a threat i.e. like the ‘beginning of the Ice Age which also led to the disappearance of certain species’ . Today, animals are in danger mostly because of human beings. In the 17th century Descartes and Plato both portraying animals as mere objects, held that ‘animals have no conscience and humans should have no moral obligation’ towards them. However, through the advancement of technology and science Charles Darwin came up with his theory of evolution, bringing new developments and protection to endangered species, with his effort in his work there...
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...In all of Africa, there are only approximately 600,000 African elephants remaining, and around 38,000 elephants are illegally killed each year for their tusks. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora estimates that at least 25,000 elephants were poached in 2011. Scientists at National Geographic predict that if this trend continues, in about five years, the already endangered African elephants will become extinct in the wild. Security on illegal exportation of ivory needs to increase and stopping unregulated domestic ivory markets found in a number of African and Asian countries would decrease the amount of ivory sold. Elephants are on the endangered species list, and with people killing these beautiful creatures just for their tusks, the elephant population is becoming dangerously low and at risk for extinction. After poachers killed more than half of Africa’s elephants, an international ban on the commercial ivory trade was put in to place in 1989, but that did not stop poachers. The amount of killings is at an all time high, and 2011 broke the record for the amount of illegal ivory seized worldwide, at 38.8 tons, equaling tusks from more than 4,000 dead elephants. In an interview National Geographic had about smuggling ivory with a Philippine church official, he had said, “Wrap it in old, stinky underwear and pour ketchup on it.” Another way to traffic ivory told by an Egyptian merchant who was taught by Chinese customers...
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...This problem seems to be getting worse and worse every year. In Africa, the elephants are disappearing rapidly. With such a fast rate, scientists believe all elephants will be extinct by the year 2035. In the 1980s, there were over a million elephants in the population; today there are less than 470,000. Illegal poaching seems to be the greatest cause of the loss of these animals because of the value that their ivory tusks have in the market. Are we just going to let all of the African elephants die for the selfish wants and need for an immaterial item of other people? Poaching is the illegal hunting, killing, or capturing of wild animals. Examples of poaching include hunting without a license or permit, use of a prohibited weapon or trap, hunting at the wrong time of the year, and hunting in a sanctuary or reserve, national park, or zoo. Poachers usually only take a very small part of the killed animals letting the rest of the animal carcass to rot and waste away. The ivory trade is highest today in Africa, China, and Japan with the U.S. Following right after. The demand for ivory is still on the rise. Ivory sculptures are common in the Asian culture, as well as ivory handles for guns and knives. Jewelry and piano keys are also often made from ivory. Johnson 2 In 1989, a ban was issued on ivory imports because the death rates of elephants was so high at that time. Before the ban, 70,000 elephants were being killed per year for their tusks. This ban nearly halted poaching...
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...Case #1 African elephants typically have large tusks. The ivory in the tusks is highly valued by some people, so hunters have hunted and killed elephants to tear out their tusks and sell them (usually illegally) for decades. Some African elephants have a rare trait -- they never develop tusks at all. In 1930, about 1 percent of all elephants had no tusks. The ivory hunters didn't bother killing them because there was no ivory to recover. Meanwhile, elephants with tusks were killed off by the hundreds, many of them before they ever had a chance to reproduce. The alleles for "no tusks" were passed along over just a few generations. The result: As many as 38 percent of the elephants in some modern populations have no tusks [source: BBC News]. Unfortunately, this isn't really a happy ending for the elephants, since their tusks are used for digging and defense. Case #2 The bollworm, a pest that eats and damages cotton crops, has shown that natural selection can act even faster than scientists can genetically engineer something. Some cotton crops have been genetically modified to produce a toxin that's harmful to most bollworms. A small number of bollworms had a mutation that gave them immunity to the toxin. They ate the cotton and lived, while all non-immune bollworms died. The intense population pressure has produced broad immunity to the toxin in the entire species within the span of just a few years [source: EurekAlert]. Case #3 Some species of clover developed a mutation...
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...the biggest danger towards animals that live in the wild. Certain species such as African Elephants are hunted for their tusks, minks for their fur, bears for their pelts, and Mediterranean monk seals merely because they eat all the fish. There are several other animals and mammals that are either severely endangered or extinct. With that, zoologists and others seem to think it is better to have species such as these kept captive in a zoo. Zoos are a means of entertainment in addition to a safe haven for animals that are in danger. “Both the Baltimore Zoo and the Detroit Zoo have taken in polar bears rescued from a traveling circus, and the Bronx Zoo took in an orphaned snow leopard from Pakistan in 2007. The cub, Leo, now spends his time frolicking and chasing small animals that wander into his enclosure” (Nancie Majkowski, ver. 2). On the rebuttal side, zoos are believed to be inhumane camps merely for the enjoyment of spectators and for cities to make a buck. There are several organizations that demand the release of these animals and to keep zoos and facilities such as this closed down permanently. Organizations such as PETA, ASPCA, and American Humane Society are just a few. The actions of the more ferocious animals like the tigers and lions are merely acts of self-defense. “African elephants in the wild live more than three times as long as those kept in zoos. Even Asian elephants working in...
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