Elephant News

How we adopted the donkey and the elephant as political symbols

The donkey and elephant have long represented the Democratic and Republican parties, even though neither party was looking for a mascot. These symbols grew out of negative comments, insults, and political cartoons.

Namibia to sell 170 live elephants

By AFP

Windoek - Namibia is putting 170 live elephants up for sale to curb rising tusker populations under pressure from drought and territorial conflict with humans.

Music icon Cher meets Pakistan PM ahead of elephant's move

By AFP

Islamabad - American pop icon Cher met Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday ahead of the relocation of an elephant from Islamabad's dilapidated zoo to a Cambodian sanctuary.

Pakistan's lonely elephant Kaavan packs trunk for Cambodia

By AFP

Islamabad - With music, treats and balloons, friends of Pakistan's only Asian elephant threw a farewell party for the creature ahead of its relocation to Cambodia following years of campaigning by animal rights activists.

Jumbo task: Elephant hoisted from deep well in India

By AFP

Park Town - A wild elephant that fell into a well in southern India was lifted out with a crane following a 16-hour rescue mission involving dozens of rangers and firefighters.

Pakistan's only Asian elephant prepared for new home

By AFP

Islamabad - A team of international vets using tranquilliser darts, flatbreads and the soothing lyrics of Frank Sinatra conducted a medical examination Friday on Pakistan's only Asian elephant, ahead of his planned move to Cambodia.

Sri Lanka rangers spot possible rare baby elephant twins

By AFP

Colombo - A pair of baby elephants feeding from the same mother have been spotted in a Sri Lankan national park, with officials speculating Wednesday the two could be a rare set of twins.

Pregnant elephant dies in India after eating explosive fruit trap

By AFP

New Delhi - A pregnant elephant was killed in India after eating fruit stuffed with explosives, officials said Wednesday, sparking outrage over the use of such traps to protect crops and homes.

Cher's joy as Pakistan agrees to free lonely elephant Kaavan

By AFP

Islamabad - Music icon Cher shared her delight after a Pakistani court ordered freedom for a lonely elephant, who had become the subject of a high-profile rights campaign backed by the US singer.

Cher tweets joy as Pakistan agrees to free lonely elephant Kaavan

By AFP

Islamabad - Music icon Cher marked "ONE OF THE GREATEST MOMENTS OF MY LIFE" Thursday after a Pakistani court ordered freedom for a lonely elephant named Kaavan, who had become the subject of a high-profile rights campaign backed by the US singer.

Botswana animal groups outraged at elephant killing

By AFP

Gaborone - Animal campaigners demanded on Friday that a Botswana hunter's licence be revoked after an elephant was killed despite being protected, raising tensions over the country's new hunting rules.

Rogue elephant dies in captivity after killing villagers

By AFP

Guwahati - A rogue elephant named after the late Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has died in captivity after he was captured following a massive hunt in northeastern India, officials said Sunday.

Skeletal elephant dies in Sri Lanka weeks after parade outcry

By AFP

Colombo - An emaciated 70-year-old elephant that caused a social media outcry after being forced to take part in an annual Buddhist pageant in Sri Lanka has died, officials said Wednesday.

Sri Lanka probes elephant cruelty at Buddhist parade

By AFP

Colombo - Sri Lanka Friday ordered an investigation following the collapse of a skeletal 70-year-old elephant after being forced to parade at a high-profile Buddhist pageant popular with local and foreign tourists.

Activists vow to halt elephants' marathon train journey

By AFP

Guwahati - Indian wildlife activists on Friday vowed to go to the Supreme Court to halt an operation to take four elephants on a cross-country train journey to take part in a Hindu festival.

Study links wildlife tourism to decline in elephant numbers

By Tim Sandle

Liverpool - Wildlife tourism has supporters (revenue introduced into low-income areas) and detractors (such as negative environmental impact). A new study raises a concern with the impact of certain types of tourism and the impact upon elephant populations.

Cambodia seizes record 3-tonne haul of African ivory

By AFP

Phnom Penh - Cambodia seized more than 3.2 tonnes of elephant tusks hidden in a storage container sent from Mozambique, a customs official said Sunday, marking the country's largest ivory bust.

DNA sleuths bolster case against three ivory cartels

By AFP

Tampa - DNA tests on smuggled elephant tusks have identified three major ivory cartels in Africa and are helping investigators bolster the criminal cases against some of the most dangerous traffickers, researchers said Wednesday.

Sri Lanka elephants face plastic danger foraging dumps for food

By AFP

Colombo - At a garbage dump in central Sri Lanka a herd of wild elephants forage among a mountain of rubbish, swallowing dangerous scraps of plastic mixed with rotting food in what experts warn is an increasing problem for the revered animals.

Critics hit US over elephant trophy imports

By AFP

Washington - The administration of US President Donald Trump faced a barrage of criticism on Thursday from animal rights groups after it authorized the import of Zimbabwean elephant hunting trophies.

Shoot-to-kill: India hunts serial killer elephant

By AFP

New Delhi - India's top hunter on Friday led a shoot-to-kill pursuit of an elephant whose murderous rampage through villages has left 15 people dead.

Rogue elephant tramples 15 to death in India, faces culling

By AFP

New Delhi - An elephant that has killed 15 people in eastern India over a months-long rampage could be shot within days if it is not brought under control, an official said Wednesday.

Sri Lankan navy rescues elephant washed out to sea

By AFP

Colombo - Sri Lanka's navy has rescued an elephant that got into difficulties after being washed out to sea, a spokesman said Wednesday, calling it a "miraculous escape".

Thailand leads the pack for Asia's abused tourist elephants

By AFP

Bangkok - Twice as many elephants work in Thailand's tourism industry as the rest of Asia combined, with the vast majority kept in "severely inadequate conditions", a new report revealed Thursday.

Wild elephant kills Indian tourist in Nepal

By AFP

Kathmandu - A wild elephant killed an Indian tourist in Nepal's largest national park on Tuesday in the second deadly attack in recent months.

Sky's the limit for Thai baby elephant swimming back to health

By AFP

Pattaya - After losing part of her foot in a snare in Thailand, baby elephant 'Clear Sky' is now learning to walk again -- in water.

Elephants rescued from southwest China water tank

By AFP

Bejing - Rescuers in China used helicopters and a digger to free three wild Asian elephants -- including one young calf -- from a water tank where they were helplessly trapped for more than two days, state media said.

Namibia, Zimbabwe lose vote to allow ivory trade: CITES

By AFP

Johanesburg - The global conference that governs wildlife trade voted Monday against proposals by Namibia and Zimbabwe to be allowed to sell their ivory internationally, in a move welcomed by many conservationists.

World governments urge end to domestic ivory markets

By AFP

Miami - In a bid to stop the killing of elephants for their tusks, world governments voted at a major conservation conference to urge the closure of all domestic ivory markets.

Study sounds alarm for slow-breeding forest elephants

By AFP

Paris - Even without poachers, Central Africa's forest elephants would need almost a century to get their numbers back up to 2002 levels, said a study Wednesday that pried into the elusive creatures' slow-breeding ways.

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