“gardeners of the forest”
African Forest Elephant – Scientific Classification
Species- Loxodonta Cyclotis
Genus- Loxodonta
Order- Proboscidea
Class-Mammalia
Phylum- Chordata
Kingdom-Animalia
About African Forest Elephants:
Weight- 2-6 tons
Diet- Herbivorous (fruit, leaves, seeds, treebark, and soil)
Depending on the season, Forest Elephants eat fruit as up to 80% of their diets.
African Forest Elephants eat soil to consume necessary minerals.
Lifespan- 60-70 years
Gestation Period- 22-24 months
Of the 3 elephant species, Forest Elephants have the slowest gestation. Population recovery is more difficult for Forest Elephants.This explains one reason why Forest Elephants are at a higher risk of extinction compared to Savanna and Asian Elephants.
Habitat- Tropical Rainforests in West and Central Africa
Approximately 95% of Forest elephants live in Central Africa. Around 66% of the Forest Elephant population lives in Gabon, and another 19% live in the Republic of Congo.
Forest Elephants were once known as a subspecies of the African elephant, alongside Savanna Elephants, also known as Bush Elephants. Until 2021, Savanna/Bush Elephants and Forest Elephants were known as one species, Loxodonta africana. Now, Savanna and Forest elephants are their own distinct species.
Because Forest Elephants eat a wide variety of vegetation, their waste serves as fertilizer and disperses seeds. Some tree species only survive because of Forest Elephants’ ability to spread seeds up to 5km, including large seeds that smaller animals cannot. By helping to spread seeds throughout the forest, Forest Elephants help to increase biodiversity and regenerate the forests.
Conservation Status: Critically Endangered (CR) (IUCN, 2021)
It is estimated that globally, only around 130,000-150,000 African Forest Elephants remain. The population of Savanna and Forest Elephants, then known as one species, was estimated as 26 million in 1800. Since then, a myriad of threats have caused the population to drop to 1.34 million African Elephants in 1976. Forest Elephant populations were estimated at 172,000 (1989), 80,000-210,000 (2003), and less than 100,000 (2021). The IUCN revealed that Forest Elephant populations decreased by more than 86% in just 31 years.
Threats to African Forest Elephants:
Illegal Poaching-
Over the span of 10 years, around 62% of African Forest Elephants were killed for their ivory illegally. Poaching for ivory peaked in 2011, but has since declined. The development of firearms has allowed poachers to devastate Forest Elephant populations easier, decreasing populations by 95% over the last century. Ivory collected by poachers is sold in the illegal markets in eastern Asia where ivory is in high demand.
Habitat loss-
Forest Elephant Habitats in Africa are being fragmented by and converted for agriculture, infrastructure, and other industries like mining and timber. In the last fifty years, around 50% of elephant habitats in Africa have become unlivable. The timber industry contributed to deforestation that affects the elephants. Unprotected roads created by the industry also support poachers’ ability to access forests. Habitats have been divided and diminished by the agriculture industry, by the construction of infrastructure (roads, etc.), and by mining land use.
Human-Elephant Conflict-
As their habitats change, becoming more limited, African Forest Elephants are more likely to ruin crops, tread on farmlands, or even enter buildings and harm people. In response, people sometimes kill or injure elephants. This is meant to protect both themselves and their livelihoods, but it contributes to falling Forest Elephant populations.
Climate Change-
Elephants need around 250 liters of water daily. Due to climate change, temperatures in Africa are on the rise. Higher temperatures have brought more frequent and severe droughts. Without rain, Forest Elephants struggle without their resources, contributing to their endangerment.
Photo by Mylon Ollila on Unsplash
