Elephants, recognised as one of the world’s most intelligent species, continue to astonish scientists

In a historic demonstration of intolerance for wildlife crime, Sri Lanka became the first South Asian country to crush and destroy its entire stockpile of ivory tusks

In a move reminiscent of the 1989 James Bond action-thriller “Licence to Kill,” the Tanzanian government is considering issuing new licenses that would allow wealthy trophy hunters to target Africa’s most magnificent male elephants, known as “super tuskers,” prized for their exceptionally large tusks, for sport or trophy hunting.--New York based Avaaz communiqué 

“Declare his might-our lord the Elephant, Chief of the way of God” –Rudyard Kipling

The order Proboscidea, described by J. Illiger in 1811, includes elephants and their close relatives. It belongs to a group of mammals called Afrotheria. There is one living family in this order, called Elephantidae, and several extinct families. Today, there are three recognised species of elephants:  African bush elephant; African forest elephant and Asian elephant.

These species are the modern members of a group that has many extinct relatives. Proboscidea is a taxonomic order of mammals that includes the elephants and their extinct ancestors. Although only two species of elephant are extant today, more than 160 extinct proboscidean species have been identified from fossils found on all continents except Australia and Antarctica. Modern elephants are the “last survivors” of a group that was once diverse and widespread.

Life cycle of elephants

 Author-researcher Tharindu Muthukumarana explains the life cycle of elephants in his award-winning coffee table book, “Elephants: The Life of Last Proboscideans.” This masterpiece, filled with clear text and lavish illustrations, takes you on a journey from the evolution of elephants to the modern-day threats they face and the efforts for their conservation. Through this book, you will discover that elephants are amasing animals, not just because of their size but for many other remarkable qualities.

Elephants, recognised as one of the world’s most intelligent species, continue to astonish scientists. They are remarkably expressive creatures, capable of displaying a wide range of emotions such as joy, love, anger, grief, compassion, empathy, anxiety, altruism, and even rudimentary mimicry. Their cognition is evident in traits like self-awareness, powerful memory, tool use ability, and both verbal and nonverbal communication. Interestingly, elephants, alongside modern humans and Neanderthals, are known to exhibit or have exhibited recognisable rituals around death, making them unique among mammals.

The order Proboscidea, which is about 60 million years old, faces severe challenges to its survival today, within their natural habitats. The primary threats to species in this order include human-elephant conflicts, ivory poaching and hunting for sports. This cross-border population of elephants has been safeguarded for a profound reason. They represent the longest-running study of elephants globally, making substantial contributions to our understanding of these majestic animals.

The elephants of Amboseli, freely crossing between Kenya (where hunting is banned) and Tanzania, enjoyed protection from trophy hunting until recently. Last hunting season, Tanzania permitted the shooting of five mature males, including at least two extremely rare super tuskers.

Conservationists, scientists, and indigenous people are urging Tanzania’s President to halt the killings and safeguard these elephants before it’s too late. This month, the Tanzanian government will decide whether to issue additional hunting permits for the upcoming season. Time is running out – let’s unite and add our voices to demonstrate global solidarity with them… Conservationists are sounding the alarm loud and clear. They’re urging our community to stand in solidarity with them and send a powerful global message to Tanzania’s President: the world will not tolerate the selling off of elephants to the highest bidder.… 

While Tanzania plans to issue licenses to kill elephants, Nigeria has taken a different approach by destroying one of the largest seized hauls of elephant tusks. This $11 million stockpile, weighing nearly 2.4 tonnes, had been smuggled from various African countries. The Nigerian Environment Minister said that he wanted to send a clear message that the illegal wildlife trade would not be tolerated. Despite a decades-long ban on the international ivory trade, experts believe that tens of thousands of elephants are still killed each year for their tusks. According to the minister, the destroyed ivory will be pulverised into a powder and used to build a monument. This monument will symbolise the importance of elephants and Nigeria’s determination to protect them.

“I can watch elephants for hours at a time, for sooner or later the elephant will do something  very strange … There is mystery behind that masked gray visage, and ancient life force, delicate and mighty awesome and enchanted commanding  the silence ordinary  reserved for mountain peaks, great fires, and the sea.” –Peter Matthiessen (The Tree Where Man Was Born- Penguin Classics :1972)

A recent report estimates that fewer than 500,000 elephants remain in Africa, a drastic decline from over 1.3 million in the 1970s. In Nigeria, the elephant population is critically low, with as few as 400 individuals remaining.

Wildlife crime 

In a historic demonstration of intolerance for wildlife crime, Sri Lanka became the first South Asian country to crush and destroy its entire stockpile of ivory tusks. In January 2016, at Galle Face Green in Colombo, the country destroyed 359 ivory tusks, marking its largest-ever haul.

In May 2012, customs authorities at the Port of Colombo seized a shipment of 359 African elephant tusks. Weighing around 1.5 tons, the ivory was being transported from Kenya to Dubai, with Sri Lanka as a transit point. It is believed that hundreds of elephants in Africa, including juveniles, were slaughtered for these tusks. Following the seizure, Sri Lanka’s then President Mahinda Rajapaksa attempted to  direct the Director General of Customs to transfer the entire stock to the Presidential Secretariat, claiming that the ivory would be used for a “magnanimous trust work,” which included distributing it to Buddhist temples. 

This revelation led to significant public outcry and media backlash, as the public and media expressed outrage over the attempted misuse of the seized ivory tusks. Many questioned the ethics and legality of diverting valuable wildlife resources intended for law enforcement purposes towards other uses, especially when the global community is striving to combat illegal wildlife trafficking and protect endangered species like elephants. 

Asian elephants’ major threat is due to human-elephant conflict --In Sri Lanka, conflict between elephants and humans has resulted in the highest number of elephant deaths caused by such encounters, alongside the second-highest number of human deaths caused by elephants. Between 2022 and 2023 alone, over 800 elephants died in these conflicts. In Sri Lanka, about 250 elephants and 80 people lose their lives each year, and properties are frequently damaged. The Sri Lankan elephant is now classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with populations declining by over 45% in recent years. This decline is largely due to habitat loss, fragmentation, degradation, and worsened by rapid human population growth in the region.

Measures such as establishing creating wildlife corridors,  protected areas, deploying electric fencing and non-lethal deterrents like acoustic and light devices, implementing natural conflict mitigation methods, offering compensation and risk transfer solutions, and enhancing public awareness are crucial steps toward reducing the human-elephant conflict and promoting harmonious coexistence between elephants and local communities.

“The question is, are we happy to suppose that our grandchildren may never be able to see an elephant except in a picture book?” –David Attenborough

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