‘Elephants are a category of creation that is quite extraordinary’
SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH, 2016
ALL this week our fabulous pullouts have been celebrating new Netflix series Our Planet, narrated by Sir David Attenborough. Made in association with WWF, the eight-parter begins on April 5 and is a rallying cry to humanity. Its message: if we act now we can halt the destruction we’ve wreaked on the planet before it is too late. Sir David will tell viewers: ‘This stable Eden nurtured our growing civilisation. But in the space of one generation that has changed. ‘Our Planet will explore all habitats and the life they support, and reveal what we must preserve for everything to thrive.’ These pullouts have introduced you to some of the world’s most endangered species, and told how you can help save them, aided by WWF. Today, we conclude with the elegant jaguar and magnificent elephant . . .
ELEPHANTS UNDER THREAT
EVERY day about 55 African elephants are killed for their tusks — more than are born — and their ivory is smuggled worldwide.
Elephant populations are also being hit by shrinking habitat. Savannah elephant numbers fell by a third from 006- 016. These are the main threats to the animals . . .
CONFLICT WITH HUMANS: Crop-raiding elephants can cause loss of income, food and even lives. Farmers sometimes kill them to protect their family or livelihood.
HABITAT LOSS: As the human population grows and land is taken for agriculture and new settlements, more and more wildlife habitat is lost or fragmented.
POACHING: About 0,000 African elephants are slaughtered by poachers every year for their tusks, meat and skin. The illegal trade in elephant ivory has reached its highest level for 0 years. IN ASIA, elephants have disappeared from approximately 85 per cent of their historic homelands. While in Africa, poaching is an ever-present threat. African elephants can still be found in 37 countries across sub-Saharan Africa — although their distribution is becoming increasingly fragmented. Elephants can be found in the red and yellow areas on the map, and those you can adopt are in the circled areas.