African Savannah Elephant

Native to the savannahs and mountains of Sub-Saharan Africa, the African savannah elephant (or Loxodonta africana) is a large, thickset mammal with grey skin and a characteristic trunk used for vocalising, drinking and grasping food. Both sexes of the species have tusks, and both are known for their intelligence and strong social bonds, especially the bond between mothers and their babies. Female herds bond for life and, even if a herd splits up, the females will remember and communicate with family members they may come across later in life. As the largest living terrestrial animal, African elephant bulls grow to stand 3.04m to 3.36m tall at the shoulder, and weigh between 5,200kg and 6,900kg. Females are smaller, at 2.47m to 2.73m tall and weigh between 2,600kg to 3,500kg.

African savannah elephants are an Endangered species. They are threatened by poaching for the illegal ivory trade, but also due to the expansion of human life destroying their habitat. They are commonly viewed negatively by locals, mostly because they can destroy farmland and it is difficult to 'elephant proof' land with sufficient boundaries. Poached elephant carcasses are often left poisoned, so that scavenging raptors will die instead of circling over the kill as to not alert wildlife rangers to poaching activities. In addition to the obvious impact on elephant populations, many African vulture species are also directly in decline because of this. Elephants that live in National Parks are now protected from hunting, and many African countries have introduced humane ways of preventing elephants from damaging farmland. One method is to build a 'beehive fence': elephants are extremely afraid of bees and will avoid areas containing them or simply their sound. Despite conservation efforts the African savannah elephant population is in decline.