Common Name Elephant ; Elephant (Fr); Elefante (Sp)
Scientific Name Elephas maximus (southern Asia),Loxodonta africana (Africa)
Location Africa,Asia
These large and magnificent creatures need a lot of food and freedom if they are to survive.They wander in small to large herds over sometimes incredibly large areas while consuming up to several hundred kilogrammes of plant matter in a single day.
Elephants,in fact,place such great demands on their own environment that in order to survive,it will frequently bring them into conflict with man who is competing for many of these same,often scarce resources.
On the ground on two continents
In all,the problems facing elephants in Asia and Africa are varied and complex.To this end,WWF is involved in their conservation through 2 key programmes which address local key issues,the realities faced on the ground,and this ever present conflict with man.