The world’s smallest elephants are still big. Measuring around nine feet (2.7 meters) tall, Bornean elephants are the smallest subspecies of the Asian elephant, and are two feet (60 centimeters) shorter than their African counterparts. Found only on the island of Borneo, mostly in the Malaysian state of Sabah, there are fewer than 1,000 Bornean […]
Tag: Asian Elephant
Elephant in the womb? Thailand brings in birth control for pachyderms
Thailand will begin giving birth control to a small number of wild female elephants this year, as the country struggles with the growing problem of human-elephant conflict. Asian elephants have been classified as endangered since 1986. But Thai authorities say that conservation efforts mean the country’s population is growing at a rate of 8% each […]
How a Nepali border village learned to live with migratory wild elephants
BAHUNDANGI, Nepal – The heavy thud against the glass window sent Krishna Bahadur Rasaili’s heart racing. Stepping outside, he saw his granary lay in ruins, and an elephant was feasting on his hard-earned paddy harvest. For years, this has been a terrifying reality in Bahundangi, a village along Nepal’s eastern border with India along the […]
8 of the Most Successful Elephant Conservation Projects
Elephants face severe threats from poaching, habitat loss, and human-wildlife conflict. These gentle giants play a critical role in maintaining ecosystems, making their Conservation essential for biodiversity and environmental health. Fortunately, numerous Conservation initiatives worldwide have achieved remarkable success in protecting elephant populations. 1. The Elephant Crisis Fund (ECF) – Global Source: Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation/Youtube […]
A ‘scent fence’ that targets elephants’ sensitive nostrils could stop herds from trashing crops and trees
Elephant numbers are surging in southern Africa, with fewer natural predators, reduced hunting pressure and feeding by farmers and tourist operators. While this is good for elephants, it’s making life harder for humans who live near them. These huge herbivores can raid crops and destroy large trees in national parks with impunity, causing problems for […]
Rare twin elephants take first steps in Myanmar
Baby elephant twins born last week on a timber camp in Myanmar are thriving after a wobbly first few days in the world, officials told AFP on Thursday. Pearl Sint was born a few minutes before her brother Kyaw Pearl last week at the 60-acre Wingabaw elephant camp in the Bago region operated by state-run […]
This World Elephant Day, Conservationists Ask Tanzania to Stop Allowing Trophy Hunting
Today is World Elephant Day, and conservationists have petitioned Tanzania to stop issuing permits for the trophy hunting of the gentle and intelligent pachyderms. Wild African elephants — including the “super-tuskers” who are hunted for their ivory tusks — roam freely across the border into Tanzania from Kenya’s Amboseli National Park, where their vast herds […]
World’s smallest living elephants listed as Endangered on Red List
A newly confirmed elephant subspecies is already at risk of extinction. Bornean elephants have wider faces and smaller bodies than other Asian elephants. Standing just 2.5 meters tall, they narrowly beat the African forest elephant to the title of the smallest living elephant. Though they were first named in 1950, disagreement over whether these mammals […]