Protecting Elephants and Rhinos

Overview

As poaching and habitat loss ravage rhinoceros and elephant populations, protections for these species are vitally important. Today, African elephants and rhino species are threatened with extinction. Friends of HSI has long worked to educate and inspire protections for these iconic animals. Recently, the Government of Canada approved and published regulations that would effectively ban elephant ivory and rhino horn trade.

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African elephants poached every year

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African elephant tusks imported into Canada as hunting trophies in the past decade

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The number of years until African elephants may go extinct in the wild if action isn't taken

Elephant and Rhino Facts

  • Elephants are the largest land mammals on Earth, with rhinoceros being the second largest.
  • Elephant ivory is made from dentine, a material in human teeth.
  • Elephants often experience painful deaths when poached. These animals do not lose their tusks; they are hacked out by poachers.
  • Studies indicate up to 25,000 elephants are poached in Africa annually, and even the lowest estimate exceeds the elephant birth rate, thereby posing a direct threat to these populations.
  • All five species of rhino are threatened by poaching, trophy hunting and habitat loss.

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