African Elephant

Context: Shankar (lone African Elephant) may be called sick but scientifically it is undergoing a condition called ‘musth’ which began in the last week of June.

Musth: (of a male elephant or camel) in a condition marked by heightened aggression and unpredictable behavior that usually occurs annually in association with a surge in testosterone level.

African Elephants: Key Points

1. Size and Physical Features:
   • African elephants are the largest land animals on Earth, characterized by their immense size and distinctive features.
   • They typically weigh between 4,000 to 7,500 kilograms (8,800 to 16,500 pounds) and stand around 3 to 4 meters (10 to 13 feet) tall at the shoulder.
   • Notable physical features include their trunk, which is a fusion of their upper lip and nose used for grasping objects, feeding, and communication.
   • Their large ears are crucial for regulating body temperature by radiating excess heat.
   • Upper incisor teeth develop into tusks, which grow throughout their lifetime.
2. Distribution:
   • These elephants inhabit 37 countries across the African continent, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa.
   • They are found in a variety of habitats including savannas, forests, marshes, and deserts.
3. Species and Variations:
   • There are two recognized species of African elephants:
     • Savanna Elephant (Loxodonta africana):
       • Larger in size compared to forest elephants.
       • Characterized by tusks that curve outwards.
     • Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis):
       • Smaller in size and darker in coloration than savanna elephants.
       • Their tusks are straighter and tend to point downward.
       • Adapted to the dense forests of central and western Africa, particularly the Congo Basin.

Behavior and Ecology:

Sleeping Pattern:

• Elephants, particularly African elephants, have very low sleep requirements.
• Research indicates they sleep an average of only 2 hours within a 24-hour cycle.

Family:

• African elephants live in family units led by a matriarch.
• Family units consist of several adult cows, their daughters, and subadult sons.
• Male elephants form alliances with other males after puberty.
• They communicate using low-frequency infrasonic calls.

Feeding:

• African elephants use their trunks to pluck leaves and tusks to tear branches.
• They can digest various plant parts due to fermentation in the hindgut.

Intelligence:

• African elephants are highly intelligent:
• They possess a large and convoluted neocortex, similar to humans and some other intelligent animals.
• They exhibit behaviors such as grief, learning, mimicry, play, and tool use.
• Their cognitive abilities suggest high intelligence comparable to cetaceans and primates.

Reproduction:

• Mating and Reproduction:
• Female African elephants become fertile between 25 and 45 years old.
• Gestation period lasts up to nearly two years.
• Calves are cared for by the mother and other young females (allomothering).
• Females are selective about mating partners, especially during musth in males.
• Male elephants experience musth, characterized by heightened testosterone and aggression.
• Older males in musth have higher reproductive success due to competition for females.

Conservation Status and Threats:

• Both species of African elephants face significant threats to their survival.
• Poaching: Illegal hunting for ivory remains a major threat, particularly for tusks that are highly valued in international markets.
• Habitat Loss: Increasing human populations and expanding agriculture result in habitat fragmentation, limiting their range and access to resources.
• Human-Wildlife Conflict: Encounters with humans can lead to conflicts, particularly in areas where elephants come into contact with agricultural lands.
• Conservation efforts focus on anti-poaching measures, habitat protection, and community-based initiatives to mitigate human-elephant conflicts.

Conservation Efforts:

• African Elephant Database (1986): Initiated to monitor African elephant populations. Includes data from aerial surveys, dung counts, interviews, and poaching statistics.
• CITES Listing (1989): African elephant listed on CITES Appendix I. Bans international trade of elephants and their parts among CITES signatories. Hunting banned in Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Côte d'Ivoire, and Senegal.
• Impact of Trade Ban: After 1990 ban, ivory sales in South Africa dropped over 95% in a decade. Southern African elephant populations recovered post-trade ban.
• Human-Elephant Conflict Mitigation: African Elephant Specialist Group's Human-Elephant Conflict Task Force established. Aims to develop strategies to mitigate conflicts. 
• West African Elephant Memorandum of Understanding (2005): Signed by 12 West African countries. Supported by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. Implemented West African Elephant Conservation Strategy with financial backing for four years.
• Ban on Export to Zoos (2019): Export of wild African elephants to zoos globally banned. Exception for "demonstrable in-situ conservation benefits". Previously, Zimbabwe exported over 100 baby elephants to Chinese zoos since 2012.
• Conservation and Climate Change: Elephant conservation has been shown not to conflict with climate change mitigation efforts. Elephants promote soil carbon sequestration despite reducing above-ground biomass.
• Cultural and Regional Context: Mention of an elephant mask from Ivory Coast highlights cultural significance. Illustrates local engagement and conservation challenges.