Feb. 7, 2006 — Thirteen Asian countries with wild elephants met as a group in Malaysia for the first time recently to discuss the survival of the species as expanding human populations encroach on its habitat.

The aim of the meeting was to reach a consensus on effective ways to tackle the serious threats facing the continent's largest mammal.

The gathering was facilitated by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), which warned that the situation facing the Asian elephant was critical.

"Just over five percent of the original Asian elephant habitat remains today, and its population has declined over the past half century to an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 animals in the wild," it said in a statement.

This is just 10 to 15 percent of the African elephant population.

Participants agreed that international cooperation was necessary to protect the creatures' dwindling habitat and to secure the species' future.

Ajay Desai, co-chair of the World Conservation Union's Species Survival Commission, said the Asian elephant required much larger areas of natural range than most other terrestrial mammals in Asia.

"There was a need for long-term land use planning strategies taking into account the species' biological needs; otherwise we shall keep seeing the elimination of elephant populations in large parts of its range," he said.

South and Southeast Asia have the highest human population density in the world, with numbers increasing by between one and three percent each year.

Other threats include selective poaching of tusked males for ivory, which results in skewed male-female ratios in many populations.

"The conservation of the Asian elephant will require a pragmatic synergy of scientific knowledge, cultural pride and political will. We hope we have managed to bring all these factors together at this meeting," said Holly Dublin, chair of the World Conservation Union's Species Survival Commission.

The Asian elephant states comprise Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

---

Name: Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus)
Primary Classification: Proboscidea (Elephants)
Location: India and Southeast Asia.
Habitat: Mainly tropical scrub forest. Also thick jungle and savannah.
Diet: Mainly grasses. Also bark, roots, leaves, fruits, vines, shrubs and tree stems.
Size: Up to 21 ft in length, 10 ft in height and 5.5 tons in weight.
Description: Grayish to brown in color; sparse, coarse body hair; thick, dry skin; long trunk with single, finger-like projection; two bumps on forehead; columnar legs; large, fan-like ears; males have two long, ivory tusks.
Cool Facts: An adult consumes more than 500 lbs of vegetation in a single day. Its trunk, which contains up to 100,000 muscles, can inhale and spray water, lift heavy objects, grasp small objects and detect minor variations in heat and texture.
Conservation Status: Endangered
Major Threats: Habitat loss and poaching.
What Can I Do?: Visit the Elephant Help Project and Friends of the Asian Elephant for information on how you can help.

Get More News: