So what are the African elephant’s predators?Īnimals who stand a chance of taking on an elephant rely on at least one of two factors: power, or overwhelming numbers.Įven then, most will look for a young, sick or frail member of the elephant herd to attack. But from time to time, another animal hasn’t read the rules and attacks out of hunger and desperation. Which Animals Eat Elephants?Īs we mentioned, elephants have no natural predators in the wild. There’s also an unexpected “enemy” that elephants seem to fear – but more about that later.įirst, let’s talk about the four African predators in the wild that might have a chance of attacking, killing, and eating an African elephant.
We know of four main candidates in this regard. Only the most powerful and opportunistic will have a chance of succeeding as an African elephant’s natural predator. That doesn’t mean that other animals don’t try. Chances are, they’re going to have a bad day if they get it wrong. When it comes to the food chain, remarkably few other species fancy attacking an elephant. Do Any Animals Kill Elephants?Īfrican elephants have no natural predators… officially. We don’t generally think of elephants as prey. They are also incredibly powerful and can overturn cars, destroy large patches of land and deal decisively with any trouble from other animals and people. As one of Africa’s wildlife ‘big five’, elephants are popular with tourists, which can be an important source of income for communities.īy helping protect elephants we’re also helping make sure their environment and its natural resources are available for generations to come.It’s difficult to describe how enormous and imposing an African elephant is, especially to someone who has never seen one in person.Ī bull elephant can stand more than three meters tall, and weigh up to six tonnes. Local people depend on natural resources found in elephant habitats, for example for food, fuel and income. Without elephants, the natural structure and functioning of their landscapes would be very different, which would have impacts on the other wildlife and the people who share that space. And elephants can eat big seeds that small animals can’t. When elephants eat seed-bearing plants and fruits, the seeds often re-emerge undigested.
They're ‘landscape architects’ – for instance as they move around and feed, they create clearings in wooded areas, which lets new plants grow and forests regenerate naturally.Īnd then there’s seed dispersal. We need your help to protect them.Įlephants play an essential role in their environment. In safeguarding elephants, we’re also helping support local communities through measures to reduce human-elephant conflict and initiatives to support local livelihoods. We're doing all we can to help, from monitoring herds, to training community rangers and protecting habitat. Other major threats to both African elephant species include the ongoing conversion of their natural habitats for agriculture and other land uses. At present, there are around 415,000 African elephants in the wild. Both species have suffered sharp declines since 2008 due to a significant increase in poaching, which peaked in 2011 but continues to threaten populations. The number of African forest elephants fell by more than 86% over a period of 31 years, while the population of African savanna elephants decreased by at least 60% over the last 50 years, according to the assessments. The African savanna elephant is also listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. African elephants are the world's largest land mammals, with males, on average, reaching up to 3m in height and weighing up to 6 tonnes.įollowing population declines over several decades due to poaching for ivory and loss of habitat, the African forest elephant is now listed as critically endangered.
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