Elephants
Elephants - our planet’s largest land animals - are also some of the most intelligent, with incredible memories, communication skills, and deep emotional bonds with their herd members. They play a critical role in their ecosystems, distributing seeds of trees, creating watering holes with their tusks, and creating pathways through dense jungles for other animals.
Yet today, all three species of elephants are in crisis due to various threats.
Elephants
MAANGAZIO YA ATHARI
VIDIMBWI 10 VYA KUFUGIA SAMAKI VILIUNDWA NA AINA MPYA ZA MIHOGO KUANZA KUKUZWA ILI KUIMARISHA UTOSHELEVU WA CHAKULA
African savannah elephants, the largest land mammals on Earth, are a keystone species that play a vital role in maintaining the ecosystems of Africa’s grasslands. They can be distinguished by their large ears, which slightly resemble the shape of the continent of Africa. Remarkably, these elephants don’t just hear through their ears. They can communicate over long distances using infrasonic rumbles (low-frequency vibrations that are inaudible to humans) that they detect through their feet. These vibrations allow them to coordinate movements and stay connected across vast landscapes, even when they’re miles apart. They use their tusks—elongated incisor teeth—for digging water holes, stripping bark from trees, and defending themselves against predators or rivals. Unfortunately, these tusks have attracted the attention of hunters throughout human history, but especially within the last 50 years as international demand has grown.
VIDIMBWI 10 VYA KUFUGIA SAMAKI VILIUNDWA NA AINA MPYA ZA MIHOGO KUANZA KUKUZWA ILI KUIMARISHA UTOSHELEVU WA CHAKULA
Forest elephants, which were only declared a distinct species from Savannah elephants in 2021, are some of our best warriors in the fight against climate change. Although the Congo basin rainforest is only half the size of the Amazon, it sequesters more carbon. This is thought to be because of the presence of large herbivores such as forest elephants, who by eating and trampling smaller plants in the jungle, reduce the competition for nutrients for larger trees that sequester the most carbon. Forest elephants are smaller than their Savanna counterparts, have smoother skin, straighter tusks, and 4 (as opposed to 3) toe nails on their back feet. Forest elephants also have a much slower reproductive rate, so take 3x as long to double their population size. Due to this, Forest elephants are at an even greater risk of going extinct in our lifetime. According to the latest assessments, 86% of forest elephants were killed over the last 30 years alone.
VIDIMBWI 10 VYA KUFUGIA SAMAKI VILIUNDWA NA AINA MPYA ZA MIHOGO KUANZA KUKUZWA ILI KUIMARISHA UTOSHELEVU WA CHAKULA
Asian elephants, which are slightly smaller than their African relatives, are distinguished by their rounded ears, and are actually more closely related to wooly mammoths than they are to their African relatives. They inhabit a diverse range of environments, from dense forests to open grasslands, across South and Southeast Asia. Unlike their African counterparts, Asian elephants have been domesticated for centuries, playing an important role in agriculture, transportation, and ceremonial traditions. They also hold deep religious and cultural significance in many regions, often symbolizing wisdom, strength, and prosperity. Unfortunately, their wild populations are rapidly declining due to habitat fragmentation, agricultural expansion, and increasing human-elephant conflict.
100,000
elephants killed across Africa between 2009 and 2012 in a surge of ivory poaching
10%
Both African forest elephants and Asian elephants only exist in about 10 percent of their historical range.
415,000
In 1930, an estimated 10 million elephants roamed the African continent. Today, there are estimated to be only 415,000.
TAZAMA
MAANGAZIO YA ATHARI
Human Elephant Conflict
As human populations expand, elephants are increasingly coming into contact with people, leading to conflicts over space and resources. Elephants often venture into farmland in search of food, which can result in damaged crops, destroyed property, and, at times, harm to people or livestock. In retaliation or to protect their livelihoods, farmers may injure or kill elephants, further threatening their already vulnerable populations. Finding solutions that promote coexistence, such as creating wildlife corridors and implementing community-based conservation programs, is essential to reducing human-elephant conflict and safeguarding both elephants and local communities.
Habitat Loss
Habitat loss is one of the greatest threats to elephants, driven primarily by agricultural expansion, logging, and infrastructure development. As forests and grasslands are cleared, elephants are left with increasingly fragmented habitats, limiting their ability to roam, find food, and access water sources. For wide-ranging animals like elephants, this fragmentation leads to isolated populations that are more vulnerable to inbreeding and resource shortages. Protecting and restoring habitats, along with connecting them through wildlife corridors, is critical to ensuring elephants have the space they need to thrive.
Climate Change
Climate change exacerbates the challenges elephants face by altering their habitats and access to resources. Shifts in rainfall patterns can lead to prolonged droughts, shrinking water sources and food availability, which are vital for elephants’ survival. In some regions, rising temperatures and desertification force elephants to travel longer distances, increasing their risk of conflict with humans. Addressing climate change through global action and sustainable land management is essential to protect elephants and the ecosystems they depend on
Poaching for Ivory
Despite international bans on the ivory trade, poaching remains a significant threat to elephants, particularly African savannah elephants. Their tusks are targeted for illegal markets, where ivory is highly valued for carvings, jewelry, and status symbols. Poaching not only decimates elephant populations but also disrupts family structures, as matriarchs—critical to herd survival—are often targeted. Strengthening anti-poaching efforts, enforcing wildlife protection laws, and reducing demand for ivory through education and awareness are key to ending this devastating practice and ensuring elephants’ survival.
Eneo la mradi wa Kasigau Corridor ni nyumbani kwa zaidi ya wanachama 100,000 wa jamii za misitu ambao wamesambaa katika miji 6.
Eneo la mradi wa Kasigau REDD+ ni nyumbani kwa zaidi ya wanachama 100,000. Sehemu kubwa la eneo hili ni nyumbani kwa watu ambao wanajitambulisha kama Wataifa. Wataifa wanagawiwa katika makundi 3 madogo: Wadawida, Wasaghalla na Wataveta, ambao wote inasemekana huwa walihamia eneo hili karibu 1000-1300 CE.
Kijadi, Wataita waliishi milimani, karibu na vyanzo vya maji. Hali hii iliwezesha kuwepo kwa amani kati ya idadi kubwa ya wanyama pori walioishi katika maeneo ya tambarare yaliyo chini.
Shughuli za kiuchumi za jadi zilijumuisha, uwindaji, ufugaji wa mifugo na kilimo cha matumizi ya nyumbani (mazao kama vile mtama, wawele na viazi vikuu). Kadri idadi ya watu ilivyokua na ushindani wa kutafuta rasilimali kuongezeka, Wataifa wengi walihamia maeneo ya tambarare yaliyo chini na kusababisha ongezeko la mgogoro kati ya wanyama pori ambao wanatembea huru katika maeneo haya tambarare.
Mradi wa REDD+ wa Kasigau Corridor upo katikati ya njia maarufu ya reli ya Mombasa-Nairobi, ambayo inapita katikati ya mazingira ya eneo kuu la Tsavo. Kwa kuwa karibu na njia hii muhimu ya biashara, jamii zilizo katika eneo hili zimeishi nyakati za biashara ya binadamu, ukoloni wa Waingereza, vita vya pili vya Dunia na makabiliano ya Mau Mau.
Eneo la mradi wa Kasigau Corridor ni nyumbani kwa zaidi ya wanachama 100,000 wa jamii za misitu ambao wamesambaa katika miji 6.
Eneo la mradi wa Kasigau REDD+ ni nyumbani kwa zaidi ya wanachama 100,000. Sehemu kubwa la eneo hili ni nyumbani kwa watu ambao wanajitambulisha kama Wataifa. Wataifa wanagawiwa katika makundi 3 madogo: Wadawida, Wasaghalla na Wataveta, ambao wote inasemekana huwa walihamia eneo hili karibu 1000-1300 CE.
Kijadi, Wataita waliishi milimani, karibu na vyanzo vya maji. Hali hii iliwezesha kuwepo kwa amani kati ya idadi kubwa ya wanyama pori walioishi katika maeneo ya tambarare yaliyo chini.