THE CONSERVATION OF AFRICAN AND ASIAN ELEPHANTS IS AN ONGOING GOAL BY ALL WHO ARE FASCINATED BY AND INTERESTED IN THESE MIGHTY AND POWERFUL ANIMALS.
| Elephants inspire both affection and awe. The popularity of the elephant is seldom matched by other wild animals. If elephants are to survive, however, they need the support of the people within elephant countries as well as those outside of those countries. People who believe that without elephants, the world would be a poorer place. More than fifty million years have gone into the making of the two surviving species of elephants that survive today. The African elephant and the Asian elephant are the sole survivors of more than 300 species of trunked animals which once roamed the earth. The elephant's large statute, near human qualities of character, and unique harmony of animal instincts have contributed to it becoming a symbolic figure in myths and religions, attributed to its image of kingly greatness, and to the preservation of it in an uncountable number of drawings and paintings, statues, and carvings. Even though mankind feels this way about the elephant, we still misuse them and countless atrocities have been committed against the elephants simply out of greed for the ivory of their tusks. |
| African Elephants (Loxodonta Africana) and Asian Elephants (Elephas Maximus) are the remaining two species of the ancient order of elephants. The immense size of the elephants has protected them from most predators with the exception of man. Poaching (Africa) and destruction of habitat (Asia) have caused the greatest harm to elephants. There has been a marked decline in poaching. This should allow the herds to increase somewhat in Africa. Destruction of habitat continues in Asia because of this continent's overpopulation problems. There has also been an increase in the loss of habitat and migration routes in Africa's elephant country. |
Interest shown by people worldwide may be the way to save them. As long as people want to see these magnificent animals in their native habitats in Asia and Africa and as long as folks continue to photograph them and study them, then the elephants have a real value. The value is not just for people of goodwill, but for the native inhabitants, who need to be shown that elephants can be of economic value to them. The value of tourism has and hopefully will continued to spur conservation of elephants in Asia and Africa. |
Elephant Skeleton
The elephant's skeleton supports its huge weight. The skeleton is like a bridge, with the two pairs of legs at the two
ends acting as the columns that are joined by the arch of the backbone. This backbone of elephants supports the weight of 20 pairs of ribs, the muscles, the stomach and the other organs. The shape of the backbone is that it
curves upwards in the middle to form a convex shape. This design helps the backbone to bear a heavy load.