Elephants
Introduction
There are two major groups of elephants remaining, African and Asian, since their relatives, the mammoth were hunted to extinction, with the last known dying off 4,000 years ago on Wrangel Island.
Benefits of Elephants
Biodiversity
Elephants are ecological engineers, who knock down tall plants, making spaces for smaller species. They also consume fruit and drop the seeds via their dung, which provides a rich source of nutrients.
Dangers of Elephants
Impacts on Humans
Elephants are massive and strong creatures who often trample farms, raid food stores, and even destroy homes at times. For this reason humans often try to scare them away, attack or even kill elephants. Since elephants are very intelligent, social creatures, with long memories, they can end up seeking revenge, often remembering which humans have hurt them or their loved ones. This can turn into a cycle of brutality, which is why programs such as The Elephants and Bees Project have been developed to try and end the cycle of violence, allowing humans and elephants to coexist more peacefully.
If you live in a region where elephants cause problems, please check out our Non-Lethal Pest Control page and scroll down to the Elephant section for more solutions.
Resources
The African Elephant Library (AEL) "is a collaboration between the IUCN/SSC African Elephant Specialist Group (AfESG) and Save the Elephants (STE). The AEL includes references on the biology, ecology and management of the African elephant. Anyone is free to browse the library, but group membership is restricted to AfESG Members, STE staff and close collaborators."
Projects
International
The Elephant Crisis Fund (ECF) "has supported 465 projects committed to ending the ivory crisis (stopping poaching, thwarting traffickers, ending the demand for ivory), promoting human-elephant coexistence and protecting elephant landscapes. Learn more about each type of project here.
We fund organisations doing essential work to protect elephants, enabling institutions large and small, international and local, to access funding to address the elephant crisis."
Africa
The Elephants and Bees Project "is part of the Save the Elephants’ Human Elephant Coexistence Program, based in Sagalla, Kenya, next to Tsavo National Park. Our award-winning project explores the use of Beehive Fences as a natural elephant deterrent, helping protect farmers and farmland. The idea is based on our innovative research using elephants’ fear of African honeybees to help reduce crop-damage and minimize other human-elephant conflict incidences. A win-win addition to the HEC Toolbox (available in English, Français, and Kiswahili) of deterrent methods, beehive fences help create a social and economic boost to farmers through pollination services and the harvesting of ‘Elephant-Friendly Honey’."
Asia
The Elephants and Bees Project "is part of the Save the Elephants’ Human Elephant Coexistence Program, based in Sagalla, Kenya, next to Tsavo National Park. Our award-winning project explores the use of Beehive Fences as a natural elephant deterrent, helping protect farmers and farmland. The idea is based on our innovative research using elephants’ fear of African honeybees to help reduce crop-damage and minimize other human-elephant conflict incidences. A win-win addition to the HEC Toolbox (available in English, Français, and Kiswahili) of deterrent methods, beehive fences help create a social and economic boost to farmers through pollination services and the harvesting of ‘Elephant-Friendly Honey’."
Organizations
International
The Elephant Crisis Fund (ECF) "has supported 465 projects committed to ending the ivory crisis (stopping poaching, thwarting traffickers, ending the demand for ivory), promoting human-elephant coexistence and protecting elephant landscapes. Learn more about each type of project here.
We fund organisations doing essential work to protect elephants, enabling institutions large and small, international and local, to access funding to address the elephant crisis."
Africa
Save the Elephants "Our mission is to secure a future for elephants and to sustain the beauty and ecological integrity of the places they live; to promote man’s delight in their intelligence and the diversity of their world, and to develop a tolerant relationship between the two species."
Asia
Save the Elephants "Our mission is to secure a future for elephants and to sustain the beauty and ecological integrity of the places they live; to promote man’s delight in their intelligence and the diversity of their world, and to develop a tolerant relationship between the two species."