The African Forest Elephant and the African Savanna Elephant are the most endangered elephants.
The African forest elephant, scientifically termed Loxodonta cyclotis, is critically endangered, whereas, the African savanna elephant, scientifically known as the Loxodonta africana, is endangered.
If you are interested in learning more about endangered animals, then be sure to check out ‘The 5 Most Endangered Animals in 2022‘.
Let’s look at each of these species in detail!
African Forest Elephant
Gregoire Dubois
Conservation status: Critically endangered
Population: A continental population of 415,428 alongside the African savanna elephant
Scientific name: Loxodonta cyclotis
Height: 8-10 feet (2.4 – 3 meters)
Weight: 2-5 tons (4000 – 10000 pounds)
Lifespan: 31 years
Locations: Found throughout Africa, except Gambia, where it has become extinct
Where to See the African Forest Elephant?
In Uganda, you are most likely to see an African forest elephant in the Kibale Forest National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Most of the elephants found there are the migratory herds from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
In DRC, you can watch the African forest elephant at the Virunga National Park – A UNESCO world heritage site.
In the Republic of Congo, which is much safer than DRC, you can watch the magnificent African forest elephant at Odzala-Kokoua National Park, which is among Africa’s oldest national parks.
In Cameroon, which has the highest number of African forest elephants, you can watch them at the Lobéké National Park or the Korup National Park.
African Savanna Elephant
Conservation status: Endangered
Population: A continental population of 415,428 alongside the African savanna elephant
Scientific name: Loxodonta africana
Height: 10-13 feet (3 – 4 meters)
Weight: 4-7 tons (8000 – 14000 pounds)
Lifespan: 25 years
Locations: Found throughout Africa, except Burundi and Mauritania, where it has become extinct
Where to See the African Savannah Elephant?
You can watch the African Savannah Elephant in the following national parks:
- Murchison Falls National Park (Rwanda)
- Queen Elizabeth National Park (Rwanda)
- Kidepo Valley National Park (Rwanda)
- Lake Mburo National Park (Uganda)
- Masai Mara National Park (Kenya)
- Serengeti National Park (Tanzania)
What are the Main Threats to the African Elephants?
The main threats to the African elephants are the modification of their natural habitat, human intrusion and disturbance, and poaching.
Poaching
The principal cause of the dwindling numbers of African elephants and their inclusion in the critically endangered species is poaching.
The poaching of the African elephants was most intense between 2002 and 2011, during which their population declined by 62%.
The main reason for the killing of these elephants was ivory, i.e., the main part of the tusks. It is then turned into jewelry and ornaments. China is the biggest market of ivory.
During the 1980s, approximately, 100,000 African elephants were poached. As a result, many of the African regions lost 80% of this species’ population.
As a result, a ban on international trade was introduced by the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) in 1989.
Even though this ban helped in reviving the population of the African elephants in the protected areas, illegal poaching is still going on.
Modification of the Natural Habitat
The residential and commercial development, agriculture and aquaculture, energy production and mining, transportation and service corridors, biological resource use, and natural systems modifications had a massive negative impact on the African elephants’ habitat, leading to a sharp decline in their numbers.
Residential and commercial development was done by clearing out massive chunks of the habitats, due to which the elephants were forced to migrate. Furthermore, this expansion led to conflict between the elephants and the humans, during which both sides lost their lives.
Similarly, humans converted many of the African elephants’ natural habitats into farmland. As a result, their population was pushed away and became fragmented, leading to a reduction in the reproduction rate of elephants as African wild elephants don’t like to inbreed.
Energy production and mining also had a similar impact. Oil and gas drilling, mining, and quarrying drove away the African elephants from their natural habitats. A few of them were killed when they entered these areas because of the conflict with the humans.
Transportation and service corridors split the African elephants’ habitats and segregated them into small groups, leading to a reduction in their population.
Humans took control of the African elephants’ biological resources leading to them becoming a part of the list of critically endangered elephants. The main culprits were hunting and entrapment of terrestrial animals, and logging and wood harvesting.
In addition to taking control of the biological resources, the local population modified the natural systems. The African elephants’ habitats were burned to create land for agriculture. Similarly, they modified elephants’ water resources by tampering with water management and use, and building dams.
If you are interested in learning about habitat restoration and management, then head over to ‘Habitat Restoration: The Ultimate Guide‘.
Human Intrusion and Disturbance
From 1963 to 1998, there were 26 armed conflicts throughout Africa, which affected 61% of the population or 474 million people.
Given that so many humans were impacted by war, civil unrest & military exercises in the region, we can only imagine how it affected the African elephants.
In 1979, the African elephants’ habitat was over 3 million square miles, but by 2007, it was down to just above 1 million square miles. By now, it would have dropped even more!
How to Help the African Elephants?
You can help the African elephants by donating to the following organisations that are working for their conservation actively: