Hunters Wreaking Havoc on Roaming of African Elephants

(CN) — African elephants could roam land nearly five times the size of the ranges they currently command were it not for the continued threat of one of their most dangerous predators — humans.

For nearly as long as elephants have roamed the wilds of Earth, they have had to contend with human hunters looking to exploit them. With the historical record suggesting that elephants were being targeted for their ivory tusks as early as the days of ancient Rome, the ivory trade took off in a big way around the 17th century when the spread of European colonizers sent demand for ivory skyrocketing.

Despite noteworthy efforts around the world to curb the spread of the ivory trade, many African elephants continue to be targeted by human hunters to this day.

Now, new research highlights not just steep toll of the ivory trade on elephants but also how much land could be available to elephants once again should the threats of the ivory trade be removed once and for all.

In a study published Thursday in Current Biology, researchers reveal African elephants currently range on just a fifth of the total land potentially available to them.

https://www.courthousenews.com/hunters-wreaking-havoc-on-roaming-of-african-elephants/