Indian+Elephant-+Ellee+M

My animal is the Indian Elephant. Most of the Indian Elephants live in grasslands or forests in India. They are herbivores, so they eat roots, leaves, tree bark, grass, and small stems. They consume roughly 330 pounds of food and 25 gallons of water per day. Since they are very large and strong animals, they don't have a lot of predators. Tigers are the main predators of these elephants, though they typically attack and eat small, young calves (babies). The cows (females), who usually live 60-70 years, have about four calves in their lifetime. The gestation period is around 22 months. The herd surrounds the mother while she is in labor in order to protect her. When the calves are born, they weigh 110-220 pounds. A male calf will stay with his mother until he is 6 or 7, then it will leave and remain isolated until it is developed enough to mate. Indian elephants have significantly smaller ears and more curved spines than a normal elephant. Indian elephants are a "cultural icon" to the people of India. This factor has been used to get people to support the conservation and preservation of this species.



The most serious threats to the Indian Elephant are poaching and loss of habitat from deforestation. Though the females typically do not have tusks, the men do and are killed for them. The ivory that the tusks are composed of is very valuable, so it is sold illegally. The Indian Elephants are also killed by farmers when the elephants trample and destroy their crops. The IUCN (Internationl Union for the Conservation of Nature) status of this species of elephant is "endangered." This means that there are few left of the species and they are in danger of becoming extinct. Over the last three generations, the population has reduced 50%. There are many programs, like Project Elephant, that are aiming to preserve the Indian Elephant and stop poaching by providing the financial resources that are needed and creating Elephant Reserves.



Through the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Fostering Program, you can adopt an orphan elephant for $50 a year. A good way to raise this money to adopt an elephant would be to do a sponsored walk or walkathon. This would get many people involved, so more money would be raised and more people would be aware of the Indian Elephant's endangered status. With a walkathon, enough money could be raised to adopt multiple orphan elephants. Merchandise, like shirts, water bottles, or bumper stickers, could be created and sold to promote the walkathon. If the profit made from this sale goes toward the donation fund, then more can be protected. The sponsor system would be helpful, because if those who participate have multiple sponsors then there would be more money donated per person. Though it might be difficult, I could attempt to organize a sponsored walkathon to support the preservation of Indian Elephants.



Thinglink over Indian Elephants: []

Bibliography-

Information: http://www.ecomii.com/jeff-corwin/animals/full-list @http://worldwildlife.org/species/indian-elephant http://a-z-animals.com/animals/indian-elephant/ @http://www.elephantconservation.org/elephants/asian-elephants/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Elephant @http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/asp/fostering.asp

Pictures: /Asian_Elephant_8.13.2012_Why_They_Matter3_HI_246040.jpg?1345551966 @http://www.indianholiday.com/images/wild-animals-in-india/indian-elephant.jpg @http://hedweb.com/animimag/baby-elephant.jpg