2. Biology and behavior of elephants
Elephant Airheads (Animal Planet's Fooled by Nature)
•Important for ecosystems – mud baths, uprooting of
shrubs, eat salts/minerals, African eggplant
•Musth, a male bull mates with a receptive female in
a group
Family groups with calves
Zoe Geist: STLCC-FV WHM 2013
4. Ivory trade
History of Ivory Trade
Battle for the Elephants - Episode 1 Ivory trade investi
•What is driving the sales of illegal ivory?
Zoe Geist: STLCC-FV WHM 2013
5. Ivory trade
• Worldwide ban on ivory trade 1989
• In 1999 and 2008 the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species
(CITES) allowed two sanctioned sales of ivory.
(NG
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/media/history-ivory-trade/?ar_a=1
)
• Estimated 25,000 – 40,000 elephants killed
2012 (NG, EOL)
Zoe Geist: STLCC-FV WHM 2013
6. Conservation of elephants
• IUCN: conservation status of African Elephant is
vulnerable, Asian Elephant endangered; threated by
loss of habitat as well
– http://maps.iucnredlist.org/map.html?id=7140
• Conservation efforts:
– habitat management
– species protection,
– collaborations of range states to
manage transboundary populations
– Zoos, programs to support
raising of orphaned elephants
7. Dame Daphne Sheldrick
• Her autobiography
• Grew up in Kenya, farm with many
different animals around
– Given young bushbuck to nurture age 3
• Married twice, 2 daughters
• Took care of orphaned animals,
developed milk formula for
rhino & elephant infants
• Second husband David well-known
warden of Tsavo NP; died 1977, DSWT
established
• Began nursery Nairobi NP
• Appointed Dame Commander of the
Most Excellent Order of the British
Empire
9. David Sheldrick Wildlife Fund
• Short clip Sheldrick program
• A Place of Hope (rescue of elephants)
10. Women that study elephants
•
•
•
•
Caitlin O’Connell
Andrea Turkalo
Cynthia Moss
Soila Sayialel – Amboseli National Park
11. Video Resources
• National Geographic Animal Videos
– http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/the-magaz
– http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/animals/m
– http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/m
ar_a=1
Zoe Geist: STLCC-FV WHM 2013