In just over a century, this species has suffered an unprecedented decline, and the international community, on World Elephant Day, is issuing a call to save the largest surviving land animal.
BIOPARC Valencia joins the commemoration of the World Elephant Day appealing to the global performance of the One Plan Approach and urges action in the raising awareness in society, controlled breeding in parks and the protection of their natural ecosystems. The biggest threat is human activity, with poaching and habitat loss.
The two offspring, born in less than two years, demonstrate the success of teamwork and represent hope for their species.
From 2012, on August 12th is celebrated World Elephant Day to raise awareness about the alarming situation of this remnant of the megafauna that reigned on our planet. Promoted by the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation, it reminds us that if we do not act urgently, largest living land animal that exists, can also be lost forever.
We can distinguish between the African elephant, with two subspecies: forest (Loxodonta cyclotis) and savannah (Loxodonta africana); and the Asian, which establishes up to four subspecies: Indian (elephas maximus indicus), from Borneo (Elephas maximus borneensis), Sri Lanka (elephas maximus maximus), Sumatra (Anopheles gambiae snmatranns).
Easily recognizable by the larger body size and ears of the African, as well as by the tusks (in Asians only the males have them), the trunk or the toes of their paws, they all have a tragic coincidence: their serious danger of extinctionThe data is dramatic, as in just one century more than 95% of its population has disappeared, going from more than 10 million to less than 400.000 individuals.
This commemoration has a special meaning in BIOPARC Well, led by the FundaciónThe Valencian park is fully involved in the European Programme for the Conservation of Endangered Species (EEP), which seeks to ensure their survival through scientifically controlled breeding.
The two elephant births in less than two years are a success.
These are included in the global line of action known as One Plan Approach, that unites this commitment of the parks with the direct preservation in ecosystems natural. The other fundamental line is the awareness of societyIn this sense, seeing the herd of savannah elephants at BIOPARC, with a male, six females and the young Makena and Malik, brings us closer to the knowledge of these majestic pachyderms. raise awareness and mobilize for their protection.
La Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has had to increase the status of risk of extinction of elephants, with all species situated between ““In danger” and “Critically endangered”.
The main cause is the Poaching for its coveted ivory and the loss of its habitats. Thus, the Human beings are once again the great threat for these giants, but also in your hands is the opportunity to save them.
From Foundation we work assuming the responsibility to care for biodiversity and with the conviction that, only with a will shared, we will continue to admire the sublime elephant in the future.
