African ELEPHANT
Demand for ivory, combined with habitat loss from human settlement, has led to a dramatic decline in elephant populations in the last few decades. In 1930, there were 1.3 million African elephants but by 1989, uncontrolled ivory poaching had reduced the population to just 600,000.
Status:
VULNERABLE*
Population:
1900 - 10 million
1979 - 1.3 million
1989 - 600,00
2007 - 470,000
Location:
Africa
Threats:
* Habitat loss & fragmentation
* Poaching for the illegal ivory trade
* Targeted persecution following crop-raiding by elephants
African elephants are the world's largest terrestrial mammals. Their characteristic trunk, an extension of the upper lip and nose, is used for communication and handling objects including food. They have 2 opposing extensions at its end, in contrast to the Asian elephant which only has one.
Tusks - large modified incisors that grow throughout an elephant's lifetime - occur in both males and females and are used in fights and for marking, feeding, and digging.
The African elephant once roamed the entire continent of Africa. This abundant population has been reduced to groups in scattered areas south of the Sahara.
Pressure from some countries to legalise ivory trade has contributed to increased levels of ivory poaching in recent years. Scientists have estimated that as many as 38,000 elephants are being killed each year.
*IUCN - International Union for Conseravtion of Nature
BEASTS® will donate £1 from every pair of flip flops from the Safari Collection to the Born Free Foundation Elephant Campaign
BORN FREE'S ELEPHANT PROJECT
Born Free's project was set up in 1989 when reports showed 200 elephants per day were being slaughtered for ivory. Today they fight the ivory trade in Africa and Asia alongside campaigns against captivity. Their work involves:
- Protecting wild elephants and their habitats
- Fighting the brutal ivory trade
- Exposing the plight of captive elephants
- Helping to care for rescued elephants
Born Free have had many sucesses in their campaigns, through a huge campaign and press coverage, they helped ensure an International ivory trade ban in 1989, followed by a 1.9 million name petition in 1992 to ensure this was upheld. They successfully returned of Nina the elephant to the wild following the support of Martin Clunes and 13 million BBC viewers in 1997.
Fighting the ivory trade is a constant challenge as those who wish to sell 'white gold' put elephants further under pressure. Read more here about the ivory trade worldwide
TAKE ACTION NOW!
Please sign the petition to put an end to elephant poaching and Bloody Ivory Trade at: www.bloodyivory.org
Find out more about Born Free Foundation at: www.bornfree.org.uk
