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Article by Nuriah Sophie Helms (17.10.2024)
THE AFRICAN FOREST ELEPHANT (Loxodonta cyclotis)
In the dense, tropical rainforests of Central and West Africa, there roams a gentle giant— unseen and invisible to most, yet absolutely crucial to its ecosystem. Meet the African forest elephant, the smaller and lesser known cousin of the African savanna elephant.
These magnificent creatures play a vital role in the survival of these forests, however, today they are faced with threats that could very likely drive them to extinction.
But who are the African Forest Elephants?
While they do share the title of 'elephant' with their African savanna counterparts, they have uniquely adapted to their dense jungle environment. With their smaller size, tusks straighter and pointed downwards, they have no problem navigating tight spaces, making it look like a walk in the park!
However, this adaptability unfortunately has a tradeoff: they reproduce at a much slower rate, meaning that it's much harder for them to recover from the population decline caused from the poaching and habitat loss threatening their survival. They are unable to keep up. Their remaining strongholds can be found in Gabon and the Republic of Congo, as well as in other African nations such as Cameroon, the Central African Republic, and Equatorial Guinea, as well as in West African countries including Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, and Ghana.
Why are they so crucial to the ecosystem?
African forest elephants live in families consisting of up to 20 individual elephants and have a diet consisting of leaves, grasses, seeds, fruit, and tree bark. Due to their diet being so largely dominated by fruit, they are much more than just simple forest dwellers: they play a crucial role in dispersing many tree species, particularly the seeds of those of large trees which tend to have high carbon content. This has thus earned them the title of 'mega-gardener of the forest'. They are essential for the germination (the process by which a plant grows from a seed into a seedling) of many trees found in the rainforests. The seeds can only germinate after passing through the elephant’s digestive tract.
So as you now see, without the help of these gentle giants, the forest would lose its natural balance and many tree species would struggle to regenerate.
What threats do they face?
Despite how crucial they are to their environment, the African forest elephants are facing mounting threats to their survival. Foremost, those species of African animals are threatened by loss of habitat and habitat fragmentation caused by rainforests being cleared out for agriculture, logging and human infrastructure.
However, the most immediate threat posed to the African forest elephant is, without a doubt, the rampant poaching of ivory, which comes from their tusks, that is fueled by illegal ivory and bushmeat (which is the meat of wild African animals as food) trade.
Between 2002 and 2011, their populations declined by 62% and during that period, the species also lost 30% of its geographical range. As this downward trend continues, the African forest elephant was declared Critically Endangered (this means that they face an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild) by the IUCN in 2021.
What is being done to protect these species?
Multiple organisations have been racing against the clock to protect the remaining populations. Their efforts include: anti-poaching units, stricter regulations on deforestation, investing in local communitie, etc. Organisations who have helped combat this issue include, but are not limited to: WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), TRAFFIC (the wildlife trade monitoring network), and ECF (Elephant Crisis Fund).
What can YOU do?
WWF offers a charming donation program where, with your contribution, you can symbolically adopt an animal and receive an adorable plush version of that species as a keepsake.
Sources:
“African Forest Elephant | Species | WWF.” World Wild Life, www.worldwildlife.org/species/african-forest-elephant. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.
“Save the Elephants.” African Parks, www.africanparks.org/save-elephants. Accessed 08 Oct. 2024.
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