Africa is home to over 3,700 species of animals. The African elephant is one of the oldest species and a notable signature of the continent. Separated into two subspecies, the Savanna elephant and forest elephant roam the lands of Africa with a sense of grace and wisdom. And because of their prevailing reputation, the need for protection seems unlikely for the largest animal in the world. But elephants indeed face multiple dangers, some that could even send them into extinction. And since elephants have no natural enemy, what on Earth could possibly be harming them? The answer is simple. Humans.

Poaching, or the illegal practice of hunting, is a reoccurring struggle for the African elephant population. Currently, the gracious population amount is a mere 50,000 where it was once 10 million before the 20^th century. The steady rise of killing elephants for their tusks will only continue to decrease this number.

The act of poaching began in the early 1900s. Killing an elephant on a safari was considered a manly sport for wealthy westerners at the time. Once hunters discovered a practical use for the ivory contained in an elephant’s tusk, its demand and value rose. International ivory trade spread like wildfire and was eventually used to produce piano keys, pool balls, combs, jewelry, etc. The United States alone consumed 200 tons of ivory in a single year. Unfortunately, it would take 89 years for an ivory ban to be placed into action.

Thanks to the 1989 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, ivory trade was forbidden, gradually leading to an increase in elephant population. However, due to the recent demand of ivory from Asian countries, and a weak display of law enforcement, an upsurge in poaching and illegal ivory trafficking has occurred. China is today’s largest consumer market for ivory, and they are just the beginning.

Nevertheless, poaching is not the only contributing factor to African elephant’s decline in population. The increase in human population has led to the expansion of agricultural land, which, in result, has reduced the elephant’s habitat. The land in Africa that once known as “unsuitable” is now being used for the extension of agriculture. The expansion of land has been the cause of neighboring elephants to raid farmer’s fields. In return, they are killed in retaliation. This development can be considered worse than poaching because it has harmed several other African animals as well. So far, it looks like there is no intention to stop.

The most controversial source of potential extinction is the decision to use elephants for entertainment. Zoos and circuses have been capturing elephants in the wild for over 300 years. From their cruel and constricted living conditions, elephants are prone to diseases like tuberculous and depression, typically leaving them too unhealthy to reproduce. Most elephants in captivity are overworked anyhow and potentially beaten, raising the question of: Why hasn’t this been stopped before? Since their life spans are almost cut in half while living in captivity, elephants are expected to die before age 40. Elephants who grow up in the wild live to be about 70.

Luckily for elephants, multiple organizations are taking up the task of protection. A few just to name are the International Elephant Foundation, World Wildlife Fund, and the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conversation Society. Their main goal is to increase the African elephant’s total population and eventually be a voice for all elephants across the globe. With the help of donations, each organization can protect an elephant’s habitat, encourage anti-poaching initiatives and reduce conflict between elephants and people. Once these threats are resolved, elephants can live in peace and eventually turn away from the danger of extinction.