This ecological analysis of elephant-human interaction, and its implications for the conservation of Asian elephants, includes recommendations on conservation and management, taking into consideration the socio-economic characteristics of the Asian region.

This Action Plan considers elephant populations across Asia on the basis of size and provides recommendations to enhance their long-term survival. It also considers the management of elephants in captivity. Given that the basis for improved management of elephants throughout Asia must be sound systematic scientific research, the Action Plan recommends a number of research projects that need to be carried out in the field.

The Living Elephants is the authoritative resource for information on both Asian and African elephants. From the ancient origins of the proboscideans to the present-day crisis of the living elephants, this volume synthesizes the behavior, ecology and conservation of elephants, while covering also the history of human interactions with elephants, all within the theoretical framework of evolutionary biology. The book begins with a survey of the 60-million year evolutionary history of the proboscideans emphasizing the role of climate and vegetation change in giving rise to a bewildering array of species, but also discussing the possible role of humans in the late Pleistocene extinction of mastodonts and mammoths. The latest information on the molecular genetics of African and Asian elephants and its taxonomic implications are then presented. The rise of the elephant culture in Asia, and its early demise in Africa are traced along with an original interpretation of this unique animal-human relationship. The book then moves on to the social life of elephants as it relates to reproductive strategies of males and females, development of behavior in young, communication, ranging patterns, and societal organization. The foraging strategies of elephants, their impact on the vegetation and landscape are then discussed. The dynamics of elephant populations in relation to hunting for ivory and their population viability are described with the aid of mathematical models. A detailed account of elephant-human interactions includes a treatment of crop depredation by elephants in relation to their natural ecology, manslaughter by elephants, habitat manipulation by humans, and a history of the ivory trade and poaching in the two continents. The ecological information is brought together in the final chapter to formulate a set of pragmatic recommendations for the long-term conservation of elephants. The broadest treatment of the subject yet undertaken, by one of the leading workers in the field, Raman Sukumar, the book promises to bring the understanding of elephants to a new level. It should be of interest not only to biologists but also a broader audience including field ecologists, wildlife administrators, historians, conservationists and all those interested in elephants and their future.

And statistics of the animal population so rate of decline can be seen.

The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) is a keystone species, sharing a land mass with some of the most densely populated and poorest areas in the world. The pressure brought on by these conditions has resulted in the conversion of forest cover to agriculture and villages, fragmenting elephant habitat and populations. While the Asian elephant is the well-known elephant of circuses and elephant rides, the African elephant's plight in the wild has been more successfully popularized by the western media. Relatively few people are aware that the Asian elephant is critically endangered in the wild. Several distinctive anatomical characteristics differentiate the Asian elephant from the larger, more abundant African elephant (Loxodonta africana). For example, the ears of Asian elephants are smaller; the forehead has two distinct lobes, rather than the single dome of the African elephant; and, the highest point on an Asian elephant is the top of the head, versus the top of the shoulder in the African elephant. In addition, only 60 percent of male Asian elephants have tusks, while tusked males and females are the rule in the African species. Due to poaching, which selects against tuskbearing males, many localities throughout Asia have depleted numbers of mature elephant bulls, resulting in an abnormal population-age structure and sex ratio. The long-term impacts of this factor on the conservation of the Asian elephant is unknown. This report presents a summary and highlights of the work supported by the Asian Elephant Conservation Fund (Fund) during 1999-2001. The Fund is administered and coordinated by the Division of International Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), Department of the Interior.