One Page - The Elephants' Fate
Elephants have appeared on stamps for many years, what happened to them?
This exhibit will examine the status of the elephant in a selection of countries who used elephants on their stamps. In the 16th century it was estimated some 26 million African elephants roamed Africa, in 1913 this figure was 10 million and figures today suggest less than 450,000 remain. For Asian elephants the estimate is 200,000 in 1900 and today about 40,000 remain
African Elephants
In the late 19th and early 20th century the European colonial powers cooperated to impose gun taxes and game licenses in their territories in Africa.
This was to control the local population as well as control the lucrative ivory trade. A game license would typically cost between £1 and £50 depending on the type of game and how many they would be permitted to shoot. The overall population of British Central Africa which became Nyasaland was around 50,000 elephants at the beginning of the 20th century. Today Malawi has suffered a lot from poaching and there are about 1500 remaining. Example of stamps which may have been used on game licences. |
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The last elephant was shot in Gambia in 1913. The last giraffe died in 1899. |
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Total Democratic Republic of Congo elephant population is believed to be under 20,000, and still dropping. This is down from a population estimated at over 100,000 elephants 50 years ago. The country has seen many wars over the last 40 years and poaching is prevalent everywhere. |
Garamba National Park, located in Orientale Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa, was established in 1938. One of Africa's oldest National parks, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.
Garamba is (or at least was) the home to the world's last known wild population of Northern White Rhinoceros. Due to poaching of the rhinos within the park, it was added to the list of World Heritage in Danger in 1996. In 2015 more than 130 elephants were killed by poachers in this park which borders onto Southern Sudan. |
In Zambia in 1976 the population was estimated at 150,000 it then lost 100,000 between 1981 and 1985 due to poaching and current estimates are about 16,000 remain. |
However, the recent international decision for a partial lifting of the ivory ban to allow selected sale of ivory stockpiles has re-opened the illegal markets and poaching has increased once again across all range states including Zambia. |
In Kenya in 1970 there were an estimated 275,000 elephants, at the end of 1979 this was down to 167,000 and today current estimates are around 30,000 and declining. This is as a result of poaching which is has increased a lot in the past 10 years. |
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Botswana is probably the biggest success story for the African elephant.
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Asian Elephants
Asian elephants are poached to a much lesser extent than the African elephant because only the males have tusks.|
The Borneo elephant, also called the Borneo pygmy elephant, inhabits northeastern Borneo, in Indonesia and Malaysia. Its origin remains the subject of debate. A definitive subspecific classification as Elephas maximus borneensis awaits a detailed range-wide morphometric and genetic study. Since 1986, Elephas maximus has been listed as endangered by IUCN as the population has declined by at least 50% over the last three generations, estimated to be 60–75 years. The species is pre-eminently threatened by habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation. |
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The Indian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) is one of three recognized subspecies of the Asian elephant and native to mainland Asia. Since 1986, Elephas maximus has been listed as Endangered by IUCN as the population has declined by at least 50% over the last 60 to 75 years or three generations. Asian elephants are threatened by habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation. The number of wild elephants in India in the 19th century was probably in excess of 200,000 but today the numbers are dwindling rapidly with less than 20,000. There is also a large shortage of male elephants through poaching reports suggest 880 male elephants remain. Other causes such as erosion of habitat by humans has exacerbated the problem. |
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In Sri Lanka (Ceylon) during the 19th century the population was said to be between 12000-14000. During the armed conflicts in the 1990s the numbers dwindled to around 2000 but a census in 2012 has recorded 5879. The greatest threat to elephants comes from an expanding human population and resulting demand for land. Loss of significant extents of elephant range to development continues currently, with a number of irrigation and development projects leading to the conversion of more elephant ranges to irrigated agriculture and settlements. A religious ceremony will also be held on the 26th January 2016 to formally apologise to the elephants “We have to apologise,” said the Venerable Omalpe Sobitha Thero, the Buddhist priest who will lead the service. Those elephants were victimized by the cruelty of certain people. But all of human society is responsible. We destroyed those innocent lives to take those tusks. We have to ask for pardon from them. |
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There are several paradoxes in the joint issue by Thailand and China in 1995 showing elephants meeting in a river. At the turn of the 20th century there were some 100,000 wild elephants in Thailand and today there are less than 4000 of which only 1500 are wild. Whilst China only has 180 left in the wild (in a reserve) in Southern Yunnan and the penalty for killing one is death, at the same time they are turning a blind eye to the demand for ivory and by products which is fuelling the extinction of African elephants. |
