Category: african elephants

Posted on

Elephants Are Firefighters and Other Memorable Facts About these Great Animals

Elephants are amazing – they share strong family bonds, they’re crazy smart, and they’re way nicer to humans than we deserve (as is true of most animals) – and after reading these 9 facts, you’re going to adore them even more.

These gentle giants are around 10 feet tall and weigh over 6.5 tons. Sadly, they’re also being wiped out by poachers – around 100 African elephants die at their hands every day  – which means it’s past time for us to stand up for them.

9. Elephants grieve the deaths of their own.

Image Credit: iStock

When a member of their family or grouping dies, elephants get vocal, use their trunks to “hug” their dead, and often have to be physically pulled away from the carcass after hours at its side. They have also been seen trying to “bury” the body with leaves and soil.

We can’t know what they’re feeling or thinking, but most experts agree these behaviors have all the hallmarks of grief.

8. Elephants aren’t actually afraid of mice.

Image Credit: Pexels

Zoologists have conducted plenty of experiments, and elephants aren’t really afraid of mice.

Elephants do have poor vision, so they tend to get startled easily by things too small to see clearly – the myth probably came from an elephant being surprised by the sudden movement of a nearby mouse.

7. They visit hotels in Zambia.

Guests at the Mfuwe Lodge in Zambia might see families of elephants walking through the reception area between October and December.

In fact, when the mangos are ripe of the trees, you can’t keep them away.

6. Baby elephants suck their trunks.

Image Credit: iStock

They comfort themselves the same way human children do when they suck their thumbs – though baby elephants can also use the exercise to learn how to better use their trunks.

Most elephants outgrow the behavior, though you’ll catch the occasional adult doing it if they feel anxious.

5. In 2015, we learned that they yawn.

Scientists from the University of California captured the first video of an elephant yawning, confirming long-held theories that they probably did just that.

4. They’ve been the Republican party’s symbol since 1874.

Image Credit: iStock

The elephant was occasionally sued as a symbol for Republicans before the Civil War.

It wasn’t until cartoonist Thomas Nast drew one in an 1874 issue of Harper’s Weekly that they became permanently linked with the party.

3. Elephants are the OG YouTube stars.

The first video ever posted to YouTube, on April 23rd, 2005, was an 18-second scene of Jawed Karim standing in front of zoo elephants.

He speaks briefly about their trunks, and has amassed 74 million views.

2. They’ll snack on your old Christmas tree.

Image Credit: iStock

Zookeepers at Tierpark Berlin in Germany feed unsold Christmas trees to their elephants every January.

The trees are pesticide-free, and the elephants seem to look forward to it.

Prague zoos also treat their pachyderms to the seasonal nosh.

1. Trained elephants in Indonesia fight fires.

Image Credit: iStock

In 2015, 23 trained elephants from a conservation center were sent to help fight fires in East Sumatra. They carried water pumps and hoses, and helped patrol the land to make sure new fires weren’t ignited.

See? I told you that you would love them even more now!

If you’re feeling inspired to help, please visit the World Wildlife Fund’s website – or a charity website of your choosing – to find out how you can help save elephant lives.

The post Elephants Are Firefighters and Other Memorable Facts About these Great Animals appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

Zoos Are No Longer Able to Acquire African Elephants from the Wild

You might have already assumed that trade in wild African elephants – and endangered species in general – was illegal, even if it was a zoo that was looking to take one in.

We would have been wrong.

Though hopefully that won’t be the case for much longer.

At the 18th meeting of CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, members from over 180 countries reassessed regulations on international elephant trade. A vast majority of the the representatives voted to end the capture and sale of wild African elephants for display in zoos worldwide.

The issue will go for a vote in front of the full conference, but with 46 of the 83 countries in favor, it looks to have a good chance of passing.

Iris Ho, a senior policy advisor at Humane Society International (HSI), told Bloomberg that everyone in the business of supporting endangered species sees this as a win.

“It’s a huge step forward. It’s really historic that the majority of the parties present recognized that African elephants should not be captured in the wild, sent to zoos and be kept in captivity for the rest of their lives.”

The ban would largely affect countries in southern Africa, where elephant populations are healthier and herds are regularly thinned for the purpose of selling them to zoos. Zimbabwe alone sold over 100 wild-caught baby elephants to China in the past 7 years, and the issue of separating calves from their mothers and the rest of the herd certainly has animal welfare experts concerned.

“Calves suffer psychological and physical harm when taken from their mothers,” explains elephant biologist Audrey Delsink of HSI Africa. “Zoos and other captive facilities force these calves to live in an unnatural, unhealthy environment that doesn’t meet their complex needs.”

View this post on Instagram

Did you know that African elephants are the largest land animals on Earth? They are slightly larger than their Asian cousins and can be identified by their large ears that look like the continent of Africa. Their ears radiate heat to help keep them cool, but sometimes the African heat can be too much so they use their trunk to give themselves a shower. Elephants eat roots, grasses, fruits, and bark and they eat a lot of it. In fact, an adult elephant can consume up to 300 pounds of food a day. Female elephants have a longer pregnancy than any other mammal (22 months) and usually give birth to one calf. In 2018, Tarangire’s famed Eloise was the oldest elephant to give birth to twin calves. Source of information: National Geographic https://www.wanderlusttours.org #wanderlust #tours #africa #tanzani #tarangirenationalpark #tarangire #elephants #africanelephants #thisisafrica #travel #concioustravel #mindfultravel

A post shared by Wanderlust Tours (@wanderlusttoursafrica) on

Elephant trade has long been a hot topic, with African nations often territorial about managing their own wildlife without outside interference. Black market demands for ivory has drastically increased elephant poaching in the last few decades, though, so organizations like CITES feel as if they have a duty to protect the endangered species as if it belongs to the world, and not only to its endemic areas in Africa.

Over a million species are listed as at risk thanks to all manner of human activity, so committees like CITES are set to have busy years as they work to revamp how different species are protected around the globe.

“Nature’s dangerous decline is unprecedented,” says CITES Secretary General Ivonne Higuero. “Business as usual is no longer an option.”

I feel like that statement applies to environmental challenges all over the globe, and I hope there are people in every nook and cranny waiting to step up to do their part to save us all.

The post Zoos Are No Longer Able to Acquire African Elephants from the Wild appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

Zoos Are No Longer Able to Acquire African Elephants from the Wild

You might have already assumed that trade in wild African elephants – and endangered species in general – was illegal, even if it was a zoo that was looking to take one in.

We would have been wrong.

Though hopefully that won’t be the case for much longer.

At the 18th meeting of CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, members from over 180 countries reassessed regulations on international elephant trade. A vast majority of the the representatives voted to end the capture and sale of wild African elephants for display in zoos worldwide.

The issue will go for a vote in front of the full conference, but with 46 of the 83 countries in favor, it looks to have a good chance of passing.

Iris Ho, a senior policy advisor at Humane Society International (HSI), told Bloomberg that everyone in the business of supporting endangered species sees this as a win.

“It’s a huge step forward. It’s really historic that the majority of the parties present recognized that African elephants should not be captured in the wild, sent to zoos and be kept in captivity for the rest of their lives.”

The ban would largely affect countries in southern Africa, where elephant populations are healthier and herds are regularly thinned for the purpose of selling them to zoos. Zimbabwe alone sold over 100 wild-caught baby elephants to China in the past 7 years, and the issue of separating calves from their mothers and the rest of the herd certainly has animal welfare experts concerned.

“Calves suffer psychological and physical harm when taken from their mothers,” explains elephant biologist Audrey Delsink of HSI Africa. “Zoos and other captive facilities force these calves to live in an unnatural, unhealthy environment that doesn’t meet their complex needs.”

View this post on Instagram

Did you know that African elephants are the largest land animals on Earth? They are slightly larger than their Asian cousins and can be identified by their large ears that look like the continent of Africa. Their ears radiate heat to help keep them cool, but sometimes the African heat can be too much so they use their trunk to give themselves a shower. Elephants eat roots, grasses, fruits, and bark and they eat a lot of it. In fact, an adult elephant can consume up to 300 pounds of food a day. Female elephants have a longer pregnancy than any other mammal (22 months) and usually give birth to one calf. In 2018, Tarangire’s famed Eloise was the oldest elephant to give birth to twin calves. Source of information: National Geographic https://www.wanderlusttours.org #wanderlust #tours #africa #tanzani #tarangirenationalpark #tarangire #elephants #africanelephants #thisisafrica #travel #concioustravel #mindfultravel

A post shared by Wanderlust Tours (@wanderlusttoursafrica) on

Elephant trade has long been a hot topic, with African nations often territorial about managing their own wildlife without outside interference. Black market demands for ivory has drastically increased elephant poaching in the last few decades, though, so organizations like CITES feel as if they have a duty to protect the endangered species as if it belongs to the world, and not only to its endemic areas in Africa.

Over a million species are listed as at risk thanks to all manner of human activity, so committees like CITES are set to have busy years as they work to revamp how different species are protected around the globe.

“Nature’s dangerous decline is unprecedented,” says CITES Secretary General Ivonne Higuero. “Business as usual is no longer an option.”

I feel like that statement applies to environmental challenges all over the globe, and I hope there are people in every nook and cranny waiting to step up to do their part to save us all.

The post Zoos Are No Longer Able to Acquire African Elephants from the Wild appeared first on UberFacts.