Brief Elephant History
The elephant can be traced back 26 million years when there were many species that had similar characteristics as today's elephants. Today, only two living species remain: the African Elephant and the Asian Elephant. Elephants have been used in various capacities by humans
over the years. They wee used in the military and for heavy labor, such
as uprooting trees and moving logs. They have also played a strong role
in religion: a white elephant is considered holy in Thailand ; Ganesh, the
Hindu God of wisdom, has an elephant's head.
Today, elephants are facing numerous threats: the disappearance
of natural habitats due to human activity, and poaching for their ivory
tusks, meats and hides, to name a few. Many experts believe there is little
future for the elephant outside protected areas.
Elephants used to exist in great numbers across Africa
and parts of Asia but today these gentle giants are endangered. Rampant
ivory poaching from 1979-89 more than halved Africa 's wild elephant populations
from 1.4 million to a mere 600,000. Today, numbers may be as low as 400,000.
In Asia , it is estimated that no more than 40,000 Asian elephants remain
in the wild.