...with elephants is beset by contradictions. On the one hand, they are regarded with awe and fascination; while on the other, whole populations are eradicated in pursuit of land or ivory (David 444). Even though elephants do have natural predators- the young are often killed by lions, hyenas, or crocodiles- by far their most dangerous enemy is humankind (David 444). As far back as classical antiquity, North African elephant populations were dwindling rapidly. They finally disappeared during the Dark or Middle Ages (“Saving the Elephant”). The Arab ivory trade, which started in the 17th century, precipitated a further rapid decline among elephant populations in both West and East Africa (“Saving the Elephant”). The colonial era accelerated the process by opening up previously inaccessible areas introducing modern technology, notably high-powered rifles; in Africa, the destruction of elephants reached a peak between 1830 and 1900 (“New Rules”). Today, continuing deforestation and the encroachment of roads, farms, and towns into former elephants habits threaten both African and Asian elephant by restricting their range, cutting off seasonal migration routes, and bringing them into more frequent conflict with people (“New Rules”). Perceptions of the main conservation issues involved have changed radically since the 1960s when the debate centered on local overpopulation of elephants in protected areas (David 444). In the 1970s and 1980s the concern was that elephants were being...
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...Intro: Imagine a world without a specific species, nobody can see them anywhere 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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...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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...animal I did my report on is the Elephant. The scientific name is Elephantidae. I chose to do my report on this animal because the elephant is my favorite animal at the Zoo. I found information about this animal on the internet. The animal is best known for its long trunk. The most unique feature about this animal is that it is the largest mammal on the earth. The Elephant is a mammal. A female elephant is called a Cow. A male elephant is called a Bull. A group is called a herd. In my report, you will learn about the animal’s appearance, habitat, diet, parenting, survival and other special features. The natural habitat of the elephant has everything animal needs to survive. Elephants live on the continents of Africa and Asia. The countries it lives in are Central and West Africa, India, Nepal, and Southern Asia. The habitat the animal lives in is Desert, Forrest Areas, and where there are Swamps. The elephant is an herbivore. This means that the animal eats plants only and cannot digest meat. The Elephant eats grass, roots, fruit and bark. They use their tusk to pull the bark from the tree. It eats about 300 pounds of food every day. The animal is both nocturnal and diurnal because they must eat for more than 14 hours a day. Elephants take good care of their babies. Elephants have live births. They have one baby at a time. The baby will gain 2 to 3 pounds every day until its first birthday. The baby is taken care of by the female elephant. The male calves will wonder off...
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...money involved. A social science graduate from Makerere University Kampala in Uganda named Peter Galyak Magellan said that humans have been hunting for survival for a long time now and not because of pleasure. He stated “While primitive humans relied largely upon hunting for food, the agricultural revolution (approximately 10,000 years ago) reduced the need for survival hunting in most parts of the world. Hunting has continued, however, for several reasons, and poaching remains a possibility wherever hunting is an important part of the economy or culture.” He is saying that hunting has been around for like 400,000 years, poaching has been recent because of the reasons or values for doing it. There are so many methods for poaching, in Africa some of their methods are snare wire, spears and dogs, trap nets or traps, pitfalls, and arrows and bows. Snare wires are cables that they hang on trees and the...
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...animal I did my report on is the Elephant. The scientific name is Elephantidae. I chose to do my report on this animal because the elephant is my favorite animal at the Zoo. I found information about this animal on the internet. The animal is best known for its long trunk. The most unique feature about this animal is that it is the largest mammal on the earth. The Elephant is a mammal. A female elephant is called a Cow. A male elephant is called a Bull. A group is called a herd. In my report, you will learn about the animal’s appearance, habitat, diet, parenting, survival and other special features. The natural habitat of the elephant has everything animal needs to survive. Elephants live on the continents of Africa and Asia. The countries it lives in are Central and West Africa, India, Nepal, and Southern Asia. The habitat the animal lives in is Desert, Forrest Areas, and where there are Swamps. The elephant is an herbivore. This means that the animal eats plants only and cannot digest meat. The Elephant eats grass, roots, fruit and bark. They use their tusk to pull the bark from the tree. It eats about 300 pounds of food every day. The animal is both nocturnal and diurnal because they must eat for more than 14 hours a day. Elephants take good care of their babies. Elephants have live births. They have one baby at a time. The baby will gain 2 to 3 pounds every day until its first birthday. The baby is taken care of by the female elephant. The male calves will wonder off...
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...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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...GEOGRAPHICAL AND SPICES INFO: * It is located in extensive regions of Africa, Asia, Australia and South America. In the African savanna that occupies the east of the central area of Africa * Location * Some locations of savannas include: * Africa - Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, and Namibia * Australia * Central America - Belize and Honduras * South America - Venezuela and Columbia * Southern Asia * Abitoic facores: -fire Fire is the most important abiotic factor to the savanna. without the constant fires a tropical savanna could turn into a tropical forest -soil it is real important to plants and the animals that eat the plants -air Without it survival would be impossible. -water During the summer or dry season there really isn't a lot of water. Trees store water during the wet season so they have water during the dry season. * Plants * Grasses -Bermuda grass is one of the most common grasses in the tropical savanna biome. With its deep root system, bermuda grass has adapted to the savanna by dying off above ground during periods of drought, while maintaining growth beneath the soil. -Elephant grass grows in clumps and, despite its razor sharp leaves, provides shelter to several types of savanna birds. * Acacia Tree -A medium-sized tree, can reach 65 feet in height with a flat, round top and...
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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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...The common name is the African Elephant, the scientific name is Loxodonta Africana, the phylum is Vertebrata, the class is Mammalia, the order is Proboscidea, and the family is Elephantidae. The Closest Relatives to the African Elephant are: the Asian Elephant, mammoths, primitive proboscidean (mastodons), sea cows, and hyraxes. Scientists believe that the African Elephant evolved from one of its closest relatives, the Sea Cow. The geographical location and range of the African elephant covers all of central and southern Africa. In Ethiopia there are isolated populations that exist around Lake Chad in Mali and Mauritania. Also in Kenya, Rhodesia, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, Zaire, and in National parks located in South Africa, as well as several other countries. African Elephants, originally, were found in all of the Sub-Saharan African habitats except desert steppes. Elephants still occupy diverse habitats such as: temperate grassland, tropical savanna and grass lands, temperate forest and rainforest, tropical rainforest, tropical scrub forest, and tropical deciduous forest despite their drastic decline in numbers. However, their migratory patterns and habitat use have changed, due to the fact that they are restricted to protected areas. The elephant can exist in many types of environments but it prefers places that have many trees and bushes, which the elephant needs both for food and shade. They also like warm areas that have plenty of rainfall. This ensures...
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...Always use the word ‘Africa’ or ‘Darkness’ or ‘Safari’ in your title. Subtitles may include the words ‘Zanzibar’, ‘Masai’, ‘Zulu’, ‘Zambezi’, ‘Congo’, ‘Nile’, ‘Big’, ‘Sky’, ‘Shadow’, ‘Drum’, ‘Sun’ or ‘Bygone’. Also useful are words such as ‘Guerrillas’, ‘Timeless’, ‘Primordial’ and ‘Tribal’. Note that ‘People’ means Africans who are not black, while ‘The People’ means black Africans. Never have a picture of a well-adjusted African on the cover of your book, or in it, unless that African has won the Nobel Prize. An AK-47, prominent ribs, naked breasts: use these. If you must include an African, make sure you get one in Masai or Zulu or Dogon dress. In your text, treat Africa as if it were one country. It is hot and dusty with rolling grasslands and huge herds of animals and tall, thin people who are starving. Or it is hot and steamy with very short people who eat primates. Don’t get bogged down with precise descriptions. Africa is big: fifty-four countries, 900 million people who are too busy starving and dying and warring and...
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...Gulf of Guinea in West Africa and is roughly twice the size of California. Its neighboring nations are Benin, Niger, Cameroon, and Chad. Nigeria is found in the tropics and has two different seasons, the Dry season and Rainy season. The major rivers passing through Nigeria are the Niger, the third largest river in Africa and the Benue, which flows into the Niger River. The Niger Delta sometimes called the Oil Rivers, due to the past production of palm oil. South Africa is the southern tip of Africa, which includes two islands of the southeast tip of Cape Town, Prince Edward and Marion. South Africa is roughly twice the size of Texas. It borders Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia. There are two major rivers in South Africa, the Limpopo, a stretch of which is shared with Zimbabwe, and the Orange which flows into the Vaal. The Orange River flows from east to west across the central landscape, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean at the Namibian border (Safrica.info). South Africa is different from Nigeria in that it actually has another country within its borders, Lesotho. It is in the Drakensberg Mountains where South Africa obtains water from the snowcapped peaks of the landlocked nation. Also, South Africa has three capitals, while Nigeria has one, Abuja. Bloemfontein is the capital of the judiciary, Cape Town is the legislative capital, and Pretoria is the administrative capital, as well as the formal capital of the country. South Africa is divided into three...
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...varieties of African elephant – African Steppe (also known as Savanna) elephant, which belongs to Sudan region and is characterized by its big ears, four toes on the front, and three toe on the hind legs, and also Bush or Forest elephant, which has round years, five toes on front, and four toes on hind legs (p. 500). The measurements of the size and weight of this majestic animal, which is the largest to walk the earth, are impressive, “L [including trunk] 6-7.5 m, TL 1-3.3 m, shoulder height 3-4 m, weight 5000-7500 kg [making the African elephant the heaviest land mammals alive today]” (Grzimek, p. 500). And as for the...
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...Running head: ELEPHANTS Elephants Student’s name SPC 1608 Brigette Robinson Pensacola State College Introduction: I. According to worldelephantday.org, status an estimated 100 African Elephants are killed each day by poachers seeking ivory, meat and body parts. II. My name is __________, and I would like to talk to you today about different types of elephants. III. There are two different types of elephants, African and Asian. They both have similarities and differences. IV. Today I will inform you about elephants and why they are endangered, which species is at more risk than the other, and the language used by this incredible species. Body: I. The years 2011 and 2012 indicate the worst record for elephant poaching in Africa; Tens of thousands of elephants were slaughtered (“National Geographic”, n.d.). a. In 2011 the highest number of illegal ivory seizures in the last 23 years was recorded. i. Ivory is the number one reason that elephants are killed. ii. Their meat and body parts are among the other top reasons elephants are hunted. b. Poaching is an illegal act. Now that we know about elephant poaching, let’s take a look at an endangered species of elephants. II. The most endangered of the species is the Asian elephant. c. Asian elephant’s habitat ranges over 14 countries across Asia. iii. Wild Asian elephants suffer severe habitat loss in some of the most densely human populate...
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...year. 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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