Hobbies And Interests
Hunting
Killing elephants for their ivory tusks has been a major contributing factor in elephant population declines in both Asia and Africa. Ivory popularity led to heavy hunting that began to threaten the species in the 1970's. Many countries made hunting elephants illegal, but poaching -- illegal hunting -- of elephants remained common, leading to further declines in populations. In addition to reducing numbers, poaching has a secondary effect on elephant populations. When the adults of a group are killed for their tusks, juvenile elephants are left leaderless and lacking the survival knowledge provided by adult group members.
Habitat Loss
Habitat loss is a major contributor to Asian elephant endangerment. As the human population of Asia exploded in the 20th century, people and elephants were forced to compete for the same territory. Elephants' habitat has been converted to farmland and pasture for livestock and harvested for lumber. With humans and elephants forced into close quarters, many elephants are killed as pests for disturbing crops or villages.
Conservation
Elephants were added to the international list of the most endangered species in 1989, at which time less than 1 percent of their original population remained, according to the website "Bagheera." An estimated 35,000 to 40,000 Asian elephants are left in the wild, Bagheera says. The ivory trade was banned outright in an international convention in 1990, and some governments are taking measures to crack down on poaching.
Asian Elephant Facts
Asian elephants once roamed the Asian continent from Syria to China and Indonesia. Today their dwindling population is scattered in isolated patches of India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. Asian elephants are smaller than their African cousins, weighing in at 5,000 pounds and standing 9 ft. to 10 ft. tall on average. They are characterized by their humped backs and large, domed heads.