The African Elephant (<i>Loxodonta africana</i>): Mini-Review of an Endangered Species

• 作者: Ana Raquel de Sales M. J. Pereira Rita Sofia Santos Anastácio
• 来源期刊: 自然资源(英文)
• 学科: 数学
• 关键词: BEHAVIOUR Ecosystem Engineer Environmental Awareness Human-Wildlife Conflict Loxodonta africana Mitigation Strategies POACHING Wildlife Conservation
• 年，卷（期）: 2020,（8）
• 页码范围: 317-350
• 页数: 34页
• 分类号: O17

摘要

Humankind is responsible for conditioning the distribution of species, including the African elephant. From its great physical form to its fascinating social behaviour, </span><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Loxodonta africana</span></i><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> can trigger an admiration in some and be undervalued by others, often ending up being a victim of human activities. Increasingly, the apparent impossibility of the coexistence of these two species represents a problem for the conservation of the large African mammal. Here it was reviewed the published bibliography about the African savannah elephant (</span><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">L. africana</span></i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">), between July 2015 and December 2019. The Web of </span><span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Science (WoS) database enabled the search for the words “</span><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Loxo</span></i></span><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">donta african</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">a</span></i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">”. From this research, we obtained 310 articles, 149 of them</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> were analysed. </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Elephants have characteristics that define its uniqueness that are constant</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">ly reported, such as: its cognition and extraordinary memory, factors that influence its movements and its distribution, its specific vocalization and the strong dependence on social connections. Threats to the conservation of the species and the urgency of interventions are also an important subject of discussion. Poaching for ivory represents a major obstacle on conservation and has been drastically reducing the number of elephant populations and causi</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">ng future consequences for those who thrive. Law enforcement in r</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">educing/prohibit poaching has proven to be insufficient, so the