Elephant watching not elephant killing

Elephants will be wiped off the face of the globe if we allow them to be killed for man's greed of ivory and other elephant artifacts. The imposition of strict laws and controls is the only way to prevent this mindless killing. Ecotourism can help in educating the minds of people to love these animals who can then add their own support to the campaign against the needless slaughter of these magnificent animals.

Elephant watching and the Law

Under the Endangered Species Act, the African and Asian elephants are listed as threatened and endangered species. "Endangered" means an especies is considered in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range, and "threatened" means a species is considered in danger of becoming endangered. This protection prohibits elephant parts and products from being imported into the United States except under certain conditions. In addition, elephants are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), an agreement among more than 120 nations to eliminate illegal trade in animals and plants, such as elephants and their parts and associated products. The African Elephant Conservation Act of 1988 prohibits the import of raw or worked ivory into the U.S., with certain exceptions. It also set up a grant program to fund elephant conservation efforts.

Elephant watching and ecotourism

The easiest way to go elephant watching is to go on a properly organised African or Asian safari. There are plenty of these elephant watching packages available. One such prganisation is “Elephant Watching Safaris” which is a term borrowed from whale watching in that there is more value in the live animal from people watching it, than there is from killing it for its products of meat, skin and ivory. Elephant Watching Safaris offers visitors a new and wonderful experience in the Samburu National Reserve in Northern Kenya.

More on the African and Asian elephant watching

The African elephant males are 10 ft. in height from foot to shoulder. The females are slightly smaller. Males weigh 6 tons; females weigh 4 tons. They can get to be 25 ft. in length with a tail length of 3-4 ft. The ears are large and shaped somewhat like Africa. They cover the shoulder and can reach a height of 5 ft. Their skin is grey and is loose and wrinkly with less hair on it than the Asian elephant. The trunk is used for breathing and ends in two fleshy lobes. The back dips. Their tallest point is the shoulder. The forehead curves smoothly. The front feet have 4-5 toes and the back feet have 3 toes. African elephants have four functional teeth each 12 inches long. They can be replaced 6 times. After the sixth time they will not grow back and the elephant will die, which is usually around the age of 55-70. Both males and females have tusks that are actually elongated incisors and never stop growing. The largest tusk ever recorded was 10 ft. long and weighed 230 pounds.

Elephant watching enemies

The African elephant's main enemy in man. They are endangered due to poaching as their ivory tusks are very valuable on the Black Market. Hunting is banned, but because the laws are hard to enforce, the elephants are still illegally killed.

Elephant watching relatives

The only relative of the African elephant is the Asian elephant and its four subspecies. There are four subspecies of African elephant, the South African bush elephant, forest elephant, East African bush elephant, and West African bush elephant.

Elephant watching ecotourism - be a responsible ecotourist and shoot photos not guns.