DOCSLIB.ORG

CITES & Elephants

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
CITES & Elephants U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service CITES & Elephants What is the “global ban” on ivory trade? A brief history of elephants and CITES trade in ivory, but allowed certain other CITES regulates the international activities. As such, the CITES “ban” on commercial and noncommercial ivory trade has several limitations: movement of both African and Asian elephants, including their ivory and ivory 1. It only applies to international products. The African elephant was first The elephant-shaped CITES logo was trade. CITES provisions apply to listed by Ghana in CITES Appendix III first used at CoP3 in 1981. The original the import, export, and re-export in 1976. The following year, at the first version, a simple black and white design, of listed species. Domestic markets meeting of the Conference of the Parties has since evolved to include species for ivory are governed by national (CoP1), African elephants were moved protected by CITES. or local laws. Under U.S. law, to Appendix II. In 1990, after nearly a commercial and non-commercial decade during which African elephant movement of ivory is additionally populations dropped by almost 50%, regulated by the African Elephant the species was moved to Appendix I Conservation Act (AfECA) and the of CITES. In 1997, some recovering Endangered Species Act (ESA). populations were moved back to Appendix II with strict limitations on 2. Hunting trophies are generally trade in ivory. exempt. Elephant range countries issue an annual export quota for Compared to African elephants, the hunting trophies taken for non- Asian elephant has had a simple history commercial purposes. With proper in CITES. Asian elephants have been CITES documentation, hunting listed in CITES Appendix I since the trophies, including trophy ivory, treaty went into effect on July 1, 1975. can be imported, exported, and re-exported. CITES “ban” on ivory trade Many news articles and other sources 3. It only applies to ivory acquired make reference to a “global ban” or after elephants were listed under “international moratorium” on ivory CITES. Ivory acquired prior to the trade that was instituted by CITES species being listed under CITES in 1989. While there is truth to these (July 1, 1975 for Asian elephants statements, they can also be misleading. and February 2, 1976 for African In 1989, at the seventh meeting of elephants) is considered pre- the Conference of the Parties (CoP7), Convention. With proper CITES African elephants were moved to documentation, pre-Convention Appendix I, joining Asian elephants, ivory can be imported, exported, listed in Appendix I since 1975. This or re-exported, unless stricter Appendix-I listing, which became domestic laws prohibit such actions. effective on January 18, 1990, is the (Note: In the U.S., the ESA “ban” that is so often referred to. In and AfECA provide for stricter fact, any species listed in Appendix I regulation on import, export, and of CITES is effectively banned from re-export.) international commercial trade. 4. Exceptions can be granted for After the Appendix-I listing was non-commercial purposes, such instituted, and largely as a result of as science or education. With the listing, some populations began proper CITES documentation, to recover and were subsequently trade can be allowed as long transferred to Appendix II, beginning in as its purpose is not primarily 1997. The populations were transferred commercial. to Appendix II with strict limitations on One-off ivory sales pattern and scale of illegal trade in In 1999 and again in 2008, raw ivory elephant specimens, including ivory, and from government-owned stockpiles of are analyzed against a range of factors. several elephant range countries with Appendix-II elephant populations was The ETIS report prepared by TRAFFIC auctioned off to designated trading for CoP16 found that the frequency and partners. These auctions are commonly scale of ivory seizures has steadily risen referred to as the “one-off ivory sales”. in recent years. This sharp upward Though approved by the CITES Parties trend is driven by a major increase in several years earlier (1997 and 2002/2004, large-scale shipments of ivory (over respectively), strict limitations had 100 kg), which points to the increasing been placed on the sales and a number involvement of international criminal of conditions had to be met before the syndicates in the illegal trade of ivory. auctions could be held. All proceeds from Additionally, the ETIS analyses showed the sales were to be used exclusively for China and Thailand to represent the elephant conservation. largest markets driving the illegal trade today. The 1999 auction involved the sale of raw ivory from Botswana, Namibia, CITES and the Poaching Crisis and Zimbabwe to just one designated The Parties to CITES have long been trading partner, Japan. The total amount concerned with the illegal trade of of funds received from the auctions was African Elephant elephant ivory and have taken measures approximately $5 million. Bernard Dupont CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 almost since the treaty was adopted in does this by collecting data on the 1975 to reduce this trade. Today, the In 2008, South Africa joined Botswana, number of elephants killed illegally each focus on combating poaching and illegal Namibia, and Zimbabwe in the sale year, analyzing trends in illegal killing trade is more intense than ever before. In of their raw ivory stockpiles to two over time, and investigating the factors March 2013, at the most recent meeting designated trading partners—China that can lead to changes in these trends of the Conference of the Parties (CoP16), and Japan. The total amount of such as elephant-human conflict or eight countries –China, Kenya, Malaysia, funds received from the auctions was government corruption. the Philippines, Tanzania, Thailand, approximately $15.5 million. Uganda, and Viet Nam— identified as In 2013, the MIKE program submitted significant source, transit, or destination Before the auctioned raw ivory was a progress report to CoP16, which points for illegal ivory trade agreed exported, the CITES Secretariat verified indicated that poaching has continued to develop time-bound action plans to the legal origin, weight, and number of to rise since 2006 with 2011 having the actively address illegal ivory trade. tusks; inspected shipments; and checked highest levels of poaching since MIKE CITES permits. The Secretariat again began collecting data in 2002. Poaching The CITES Secretariat, along with inspected the shipments upon import to was highest in Central Africa but was the United Nations Environment both China and Japan. increasing throughout the continent; Programme (UNEP), the International incidents of poaching were also highly Union for the Conservation of The United States supported some of correlated with poverty and a lack of food Nature (IUCN), and TRAFFIC, the previous one-off ivory sales and security. Additionally, areas with better published a report earlier this year actively participated in the process and law enforcement tended to experience entitled “Elephants in the Dust – The CITES dialogue that surrounded their lower levels of poaching. Nationally, a African Elephant Crisis”, providing implementation. More recently, the clear correlation is seen between a lack of a comprehensive review of the status United States has opposed proposals strong governance and a well-established of elephants and the ivory trade, and seeking additional ivory stockpile sales. poaching and smuggling trade. The outlining clear recommendations for Today, given the current poaching crisis United States has provided funding tackling this crisis. and the scale of illegal trade, it’s unlikely for the MIKE program under both the that the United States would be able to African Elephant and the Asian Elephant The United States will continue to work support a one-off sale. Conservation Funds. through CITES, engaging with foreign governments and driving meaningful Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) action along all points of the supply chain. (MIKE) The Elephant Trade Information Monitoring the Illegal Killing of System (ETIS), developed by CITES U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Elephants, or MIKE, is a system created and managed by TRAFFIC, serves International Affairs through CITES with the purpose of as a complement to MIKE. ETIS is 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 212 helping elephant range countries around a system for collecting and compiling Arlington, VA 22203 the world better manage their elephant law enforcement data on seizures and 703/358-2104 or 800/358-2104 populations and enforce the laws created confiscations from around the world. e-mail: [email protected] to protect them. The MIKE program These data are used to monitor the http://www.fws.gov/international November 2013 @USFWSInternatl Like us on Facebook USFWS_International Affairs.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Teacher Guide: Meet the Proboscideans
    Teacher Guide: Meet the Proboscideans Concepts: • Living and extinct animals can be classified by their physical traits into families and species. • We can often infer what animals eat by the size and shape of their teeth. Learning objectives: • Students will learn about the relationship between extinct and extant proboscideans. • Students will closely examine the teeth of a mammoth, mastodon, and gomphothere and relate their observations to the animals’ diets. They will also contrast a human’s jaw and teeth to a mammoth’s. This is an excellent example of the principle of “form fits function” that occurs throughout biology. TEKS: Grade 5 § 112.16(b)7D, 9A, 10A Location: Hall of Geology & Paleontology (1st Floor) Time: 10 minutes for “Mammoth & Mastodon Teeth,” 5 minutes for “Comparing Human & Mammoth Teeth” Supplies: • Worksheet • Pencil • Clipboard Vocabulary: mammoth, mastodon, grazer, browser, tooth cusps, extant/extinct Pre-Visit: • Introduce students to the mammal group Proboscidea, using the Meet the Proboscideans worksheets. • Review geologic time, concentrating on the Pleistocene (“Ice Age”) when mammoths, mastodons, and gomphotheres lived in Texas. • Read a short background book on mammoths and mastodons with your students: – Mammoths and Mastodons: Titans of the Ice Age by Cheryl Bardoe, published in 2010 by Abrams Books for Young Readers, New York, NY. Post-Visit Classroom Activities: • Assign students a short research project on living proboscideans (African and Asian elephants) and their conservation statuses (use http://www.iucnredlist.org/). Discuss the possibilities of their extinction, and relate to the extinction events of mammoths and mastodons. Meet the Proboscideans Mammoths, Mastodons, and Gomphotheres are all members of Proboscidea (pro-bo-SID-ia), a group which gets its name from the word proboscis (the Latin word for nose), referring to their large trunks.
    [Show full text]
  • 2014 State of Ivory Demand in China
    2012–2014 ABOUT WILDAID WildAid’s mission is to end the illegal wildlife trade in our lifetimes by reducing demand through public awareness campaigns and providing comprehensive marine protection. The illegal wildlife trade is estimated to be worth over $10 billion (USD) per year and has drastically reduced many wildlife populations around the world. Just like the drug trade, law and enforcement efforts have not been able to resolve the problem. Every year, hundreds of millions of dollars are spent protecting animals in the wild, yet virtually nothing is spent on stemming the demand for wildlife parts and products. WildAid is the only organization focused on reducing the demand for these products, with the strong and simple message: when the buying stops, the killing can too. Via public service announcements and short form documentary pieces, WildAid partners with Save the Elephants, African Wildlife Foundation, Virgin Unite, and The Yao Ming Foundation to educate consumers and reduce the demand for ivory products worldwide. Through our highly leveraged pro-bono media distribution outlets, our message reaches hundreds of millions of people each year in China alone. www.wildaid.org CONTACT INFORMATION WILDAID 744 Montgomery St #300 San Francisco, CA 94111 Tel: 415.834.3174 Christina Vallianos [email protected] Special thanks to the following supporters & partners PARTNERS who have made this work possible: Beijing Horizonkey Information & Consulting Co., Ltd. Save the Elephants African Wildlife Foundation Virgin Unite Yao Ming Foundation
    [Show full text]
  • The Childs Elephant Free Download
    THE CHILDS ELEPHANT FREE DOWNLOAD Rachel Campbell-Johnston | 400 pages | 03 Apr 2014 | Random House Children's Publishers UK | 9780552571142 | English | London, United Kingdom Rachel Campbell-Johnston Penguin 85th by Coralie Bickford-Smith. Stocking Fillers. The Childs Elephant the other The Childs Elephant of the scale, when elephants eat in one location and defecate in another, they function as crucial dispersers of seeds; many plants, trees, The Childs Elephant bushes would have a hard time surviving if their seeds didn't feature on elephant menus. Share Flipboard Email. I cannot trumpet this book loudly enough. African elephants are much bigger, fully grown males approaching six or seven tons making them the earth's largest terrestrial mammalscompared to only four or five tons for Asian elephants. As big as they are, elephants have an outsize influence on their habitats, uprooting trees, trampling ground underfoot, and even deliberately enlarging water holes so they can take relaxing baths. Events Podcasts Penguin Newsletter Video. If only we could all be Jane Goodall or Dian Fossey, and move to the jungle or plains and thoroughly dedicate our lives to wildlife. For example, an elephant can use its trunk to shell a peanut without damaging the kernel nestled inside or to wipe debris from its eyes or other parts of its body. Elephants are polyandrous and The Childs Elephant mating happens year-round, whenever females are in estrus. Habitat and Range. Analytics cookies help us to improve our website by collecting and reporting information on how you use it. Biology Expert. Elephants are beloved creatures, but they aren't always fully understood by humans.
    [Show full text]
  • Elephant Escapades Audience Activity Designed for 10 Years Old and Up
    Elephant Escapades Audience Activity designed for 10 years old and up Goal Students will learn the differences between the African and Asian elephants, as well as, how their different adaptations help them survive in their habitats. Objective • To understand elephant adaptations • To identify the differences between African and Asian elephants Conservation Message Elephants play a major role in their habitats. They act as keystone species which means that other species depend on them and if elephants were removed from the ecosystem it would change drastically. It is important to understand these species and take efforts to encourage the preservation of African and Asian elephants and their habitats. Background Information Elephants are the largest living land animal; they can weigh between 6,000 and 12,000 pounds and stand up to 12 feet tall. There are only two species of elephants; the African Elephants and the Asian Elephant. The Asian elephant is native to parts of South and Southeast Asia. While the African elephant is native to the continent of Africa. While these two species are very different, they do share some common traits. For example, both elephant species have a trunk that can move in any direction and move heavy objects. An elephant’s trunk is a fusion, or combination, of the nose and upper lip and does not contain any bones. Their trunks have thousands of muscles and tendons that make movements precise and give the trunk amazing strength. Elephants use their trunks for snorkeling, smelling, eating, defending themselves, dusting and other activities that they perform daily. Another common feature that the two elephant species share are their feet.
    [Show full text]
  • Asian Elephant • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• • • • • • • • Elephas Maximus
    Asian elephant • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• • • • • • • • Elephas maximus Classification What groups does this organism belong to based on characteristics shared with other organisms? Class: Mammalia (all mammals) Order: Proboscidea (large tusked and trunked mammals) Family: Elephantidae (elephants and related extinct species) Genus: Elephas (Asian elephants and related extinct species) Species: maximus (Asian elephant) Distribution Where in the world does this species live? Most Asian elephants live in India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand with small populations in Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo. Habitat What kinds of areas does this species live in? They are considered forest animals, but are found in a variety of habitats including tropical grasslands and forests, preferring areas with open grassy glades within the forest. Most live below 10,000 feet (3,000m) elevation although elephants living near the Himalayas will move higher into the mountains to escape hot weather. Physical Description How would this animal’s body shape and size be described? • Asian elephants are the largest land animal on the Asian continent. • Males’ height at the shoulder ranges from eight to ten feet (2.4-3m); they weigh between 7,000 and 13,250 pounds (3500-6000kg). • Females are between six and eight feet tall (1.95-2.4m) at the shoulder and weigh between 4,400 and 7,000 pounds (2500-3500kg). • Their skin is dark gray with freckled pink patches and sparse hair; the skin ranges from very thin at the ears to one inch thick (2.54cm) on the back. • Their most prominent feature is a long trunk that has a single finger on the upper edge.
    [Show full text]
  • Destruction of Confiscated Elephant Ivory in Times Square: Questions and Answers
    U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Destruction of Confiscated Elephant Ivory in Times Square: Questions and Answers Why is the United States destroying ivory than we needed for these purposes elephant ivory? and decided to destroy that stockpile as We want to send a clear message that a demonstration of our commitment to the United States will not tolerate combating wildlife trafficking. ivory trafficking and is committed to protecting elephants from extinction. The Have other countries destroyed ivory toll these crimes are taking on elephant stockpiles? populations, particularly in Africa, is Yes. The following lists the governments at its worst in decades. The United and the year they destroyed ivory: States believes that it is important Kenya, 1989, 1991, 2011, 2015; Zambia, to destroy ivory seized as a result of 1992; United Arab Emirates, 1992, 2015; law enforcement investigations and at Gabon, 2012; Philippines, 2013; China, international ports of entry. Destroying 2014, 2015; Chad, 2014; France, 2014; this ivory tells criminals who engage in Belgium 2014; Hong Kong 2014; Ethiopia poaching and trafficking that the United 2015; and Congo, 2015. States will take all available measures to disrupt and prosecute those who prey Why doesn’t the Service sell the ivory? on, and profit from, the deaths of these The Service does not sell confiscated magnificent animals. wildlife or products derived from endangered and threatened species. Has the U.S. Government ever done this Illegal ivory trade is driving a dramatic before? increase in African elephant poaching, Yes. On November 14, 2013, at the U.S. Photo: Samples of seized ivory.
    [Show full text]
  • The Human-Elephant Conflict
    Gajaha 30 (2009) 41-52 The Human-Elephant Confl ict: A Review of Current Status and Mitigation Methods B. M. A. Oswin Perera Faculty of Veterinary Medicine & Animal Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka Globally, wild elephants are present in 50 of the ecosystems they inhabit. Due to their countries, 13 of which are in Asia and 37 in requirement for large areas of forest habitat, Africa. At present the number of wild Asian conservation of elephants will automatically elephants (Elephas maximus) is between 35,000 ensure the conservation of other species that and 50,000 (www.elephantcare.org), while the co-exist in the same habitat. However, they can number in captivity is around 16,000. The trend also modify the environment in positive as well in almost all Asian range states has been a drastic as negative ways by their actions. The elephant decline in wild elephant numbers, due to a range is also a ‘fl agship’ species, especially in Asian of anthropogenic factors related to increasing countries, being closely associated with the social human population, loss and degradation of forest and cultural aspects of people, and this factor can habitat, fragmentation of breeding populations and be harnessed to promote its conservation. increasing human-elephant confl ict (HEC). The Asian elephant is categorized as an ‘endangered’ Many studies have been carried out on HEC both species in the Red List of the World Conservation in Asia (Sukumar 2003; Jayawardena 2004; de Union (IUCN, 2008: www.iucnredlist.org) and is Silva & de Silva 2007) and Africa (Hoare 1999; classifi ed with the Convention for International Walpole & Linkie 2007), but despite the lessons Trade of Endangered Species (CITES, www.
    [Show full text]
  • African Elephant
    Species fact sheet: African Elephant A powerful symbol of nature, the world’s largest land animal is still under threat African elephant, Kenya. © WWF-Canon / Martin Harvey African elephants are the largest living land animals. Once 2. The forest elephant (L. a. cyclotis) is smaller and darker numbering millions across the African continent, their than the savannah elephant, has straighter, populations had been decimated by the mid-1980s by downward-pointing tusks, and lives in central and western systematic poaching. The status of the species now varies Africa’s equatorial forests. Forest elephants are more greatly across Africa. Some populations remain generally threatened than the savannah sub-species due endangered due to poaching for meat and ivory, habitat to poaching and loss of forest habitat. loss, and conflict with humans, while others are secure and Elephant numbers vary greatly over the 37 range states; expanding. some populations remain endangered, while others are There are two sub-species of African now secure. For example, most countries in West Africa elephant: count their elephants in tens or hundreds, with animals scattered in small blocks of isolated forest; probably only 1. The savannah elephant (L. a. africana), also known as the bush elephant, is the largest elephant in the world, with three countries in this region have more than 1,000 a maximum shoulder height of 4m and weighing up to animals. In contrast, elephant populations in southern 7,500kg. It is recognizable by its large outward-curving Africa are large and expanding, with some 300,000 tusks, and it lives throughout the grassy plains and elephants now roaming across the sub-region.
    [Show full text]
  • Quarterlyspring 2000 Volume 49 Number 2
    AWI QuarterlySpring 2000 Volume 49 Number 2 ABOUT THE COVER For 25 years, the tiger (Panthera tigris) has been on Appendix I of the Conven- tion on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), but an illegal trade in tiger skins and bones (which are used in traditional Chinese medicines) persists. Roughly 5,000 to 7,000 tigers have survived to the new millennium. Without heightened vigilance to stop habitat destruction, poaching and illegal commercialization of tiger parts in consuming countries across the globe, the tiger may be lost forever. Tiger Photos: Robin Hamilton/EIA AWI QuarterlySpring 2000 Volume 49 Number 2 CITES 2000 The Future of Wildlife In a New Millennium The Eleventh Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) will take place in Nairobi, Kenya from April 10 – 20, 2000. Delegates from 150 nations will convene to decide the fate of myriad species across the globe, from American spotted turtles to Zimbabwean elephants. They will also examine ways in which the Treaty can best prevent overexploitation due to international trade by discussing issues such as the trade in bears, bushmeat, rhinos, seahorses and tigers. Adam M. Roberts and Ben White will represent the Animal Welfare Institute at the meeting and will work on a variety of issues of importance to the Institute and its members. Pages 8–13 of this issue of the AWI Quarterly, written by Adam M. Roberts (unless noted otherwise), outline our perspectives on a few of the vital issues for consideration at the CITES meeting.
    [Show full text]
  • An Illusion of Complicity: Terrorism and the Illegal Ivory Trade in East Africa Occasional Paper
    Over 180 years of independent defence and security thinking The Royal United Services Institute is the UK’s leading independent think-tank on international defence and security. Its mission is to be an analytical, research-led global Royal United Services Institute forum for informing, influencing and enhancing public debate on a safer and more stable for Defence and Security Studies world. Since its foundation in 1831, RUSI has relied on its members to support its activities, sustaining its political independence for over 180 years. Occasional Paper London | Brussels | Nairobi | Doha | Tokyo | Washington, DC An Illusion of Complicity Terrorism and the Illegal Ivory Trade in East Africa Tom Maguire and Cathy Haenlein An Illusion of Complicity: Terrorism and the Illegal Ivory Trade in East Africa Occasional Paper Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies Whitehall London SW1A 2ET United Kingdom +44 (0)20 7747 2600 www.rusi.org RUSI is a registered charity (No. 210639) An Illusion of Complicity Terrorism and the Illegal Ivory Trade in East Africa Tom Maguire and Cathy Haenlein Occasional Paper, September 2015 Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies Over 180 years of independent defence and security thinking The Royal United Services Institute is the UK’s leading independent think-tank on international defence and security. Its mission is to be an analytical, research-led global forum for informing, influencing and enhancing public debate on a safer and more stable world. Since its foundation in 1831, RUSI has relied on its members to support its activities, sustaining its political independence for over 180 years.
    [Show full text]
  • Elephant TAG/SSP Key Messages
    Elephant TAG/SSP Key Messages The most important thing that we can do to positively influence visitors about elephants and elephant conservation is to be clear about the messages, communicate them positively and succinctly and to use staff to reinforce them personally. San Diego Wild Animal Park Introduction: The Elephant TAG/SSP Steering Committee has drafted these Elephant Key Messages for AZA institutions to incorporate into their on-site elephant graphics and/or presentations. We also hope that they will be a useful resource as you craft future programs or refine current ones. Our goal was to create elephant natural history, conservation, management and welfare messages that would be meaningful, relevant and inspiring to all. With so much confusion around the general public’s view of elephant management, this document includes important, consistent information to share with visitors about the high quality of elephant care and welfare in responsible AZA institutions. These messages are not meant to be delivered all at once, but rather to select one or a few messages that suit a program’s objectives. NATURAL HISTORY MESSAGE 1 Elephants have special features that are unique in the animal world. • Elephants are the largest land animals in the world. • Their unique trunk acts as part nose, part hand to assist in breathing, detecting odors, manipulating objects, social interactions, eating, dust bathing, drawing-up water and releasing water into the mouth. • Elephants have the longest gestation of any land animal of 21.5 months. • Elephants have the largest brain of any land animals. • Elephants are long lived. Studies have shown that life expectancy at birth in African elephants is 41 years for females and 24 years for males.
    [Show full text]
  • The Distribution of Proboscidea (Elephants) Professor Dr
    The Distribution of Proboscidea (Elephants) Professor Dr. Erich Thenius [In: Kosmos #5, May, pp. 235-242, 1964, Stuttgart] When I speak here about animals with a trunk, I do not mean the tapirs or pigs, but I refer only to the elephants and their ancestors, like the Mastodons and Dinotheria which we call the Proboscidea (after the Greek: proboscis = trunk). Their main characteristic is their remarkable trunk which has been fashioned to become a “gripping” organ. That organ was not present in the geologically oldest ancestors whose skeletons stem from the deposits of the Eocene (old Tertiary) in Africa. Even though we have no “soft tissues” of those animals, their skeletal features suffice to tell the scientist just what their bodily characteristics would have been. Thus also, we are not really going to discuss much about their distribution in historic times, but rather, we will concentrate on the development of these characteristic mammals, from their inception to their distribution in the past. A history of the Proboscidea is necessarily a history of their distribution in time and space. Information of these animals is available from numerous fossil findings in nearly all continents. But, before we even consider the fossil history, let us take a quick look of the current distribution of elephants which is shown in Figure 1. Nowadays, there are only two species of elephants: the Indian and African elephants. They not only differ geographically but also morphologically. That is to say, they are different in their bodily form and in their anatomy in several characteristics as every attentive zoo visitor who sees them side-by-side easily observes: The small-eared Indian elephant (Elephas maximus) has a markedly bowed upper skull; the African cousin (Loxodonta africana) has longer legs and markedly larger ears.
    [Show full text]