While the last decade may not have seen any positive action on a subject of great importance to us, the challenges posed by the burgeoning
elephant populations in our region continue to escalate,' he lamented.
Data on
elephant populations and human-elephant conflict are inexact.
In countries such as Tanzania that allow trophy hunting, not enough revenue has not been raised to help the animals; instead, two-thirds of the
elephant population has diminished in just four years.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Bangladesh, the conservation of the wild
elephant population is crucial for the survival of the species in the region because their presence is indicative of the functioning of a healthy ecosystem and biodiversity.
Prominent conservationist and Founder-President of the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society Ravi Corea who addressed the gathering said that he was optimistic about the well-being of Sri Lanka's
elephant population, as more and more people understand the need to safeguard the gentle giants and their habitat.
A CITES report for 2014 said elephant poaching rates at monitored sites remained virtually unchanged in 2014 and "poaching rates still exceed natural
elephant population growth rates, meaning a continued decline in elephant numbers overall is likely."
The tournament was introduced to Thailand in 2001 by Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas and has grown to become one of the biggest charitable events in Thailand, raising funds for projects that better the lives of Thailand's
elephant population with $900,000 collected so far.
The Anantara Arabian Knights will compete against 16 other teams, totalling 50 players, including Thai supermodels, professional horse polo players and New Zealand rugby players, to raise funds for Thailand's wild and domesticated
elephant population.
Greg Baxter says a longer term solution is not to regard the Lao
elephant population in isolation, but to allow them to breed with elephants from other parts of the range of the Asian elephant family, from other Asian countries who face dwindling numbers.
According to Tanzania's Wildlife Research Institute, the
elephant population of the Selous game reserve has fallen from 43,000 to 13,000 in only three years.
In June we reported how the
elephant population in Burkina Faso had been reduced to fewer than 5,000.
India can boast to have 50 per cent of the world's Asiatic
elephant population but numbers have dwindled in recent years.
