Wildlife Guide · Indonesia & Malaysia
Elephant
Elephas maximus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Endangered and declining — snared, poisoned, and shot where shrinking forests push elephants onto farmland.
Image: Photo: Shadow Ayush / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
In brief
Asian elephants are Endangered; their main threats are habitat loss and human-elephant conflict, while African elephants also face poaching for the illegal ivory trade.
By the WARN Research & Conservation TeamChecked against IUCN Red List & CITES sourcesLast updated
Asian elephants are Endangered and declining. Across Southeast Asia they are snared, poisoned, and shot as crop raiders where shrinking forest habitat pushes them onto agricultural land, while Africa's elephants face ongoing poaching for the illegal ivory trade. Wire snares set for deer and wild pigs are a serious and growing threat to ground-dwelling wildlife across Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia, and elephants caught in them suffer crippling foot and trunk injuries. WARN focuses current elephant funding on partner-led veterinary rescue in Indonesia and Malaysia, where every animal saved matters disproportionately to a slow-breeding, declining population.
40,000–50,000
Wild Asian elephants remaining (IUCN)
≥50%
Population decline over ~75 years
22 mo
Gestation — longest of any land mammal
13
Asian range countries, all with declining herds
~40,000
Muscles in an elephant's trunk — it contains no bone
Infrasound
Rumbles below human hearing carry several kilometres
Mirror test
Asian elephants are among the few species to pass it
Figures sourced from IUCN Red List — Elephas maximus (Asian elephant), 2020 assessment, IUCN — African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis), IUCN — African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) and other references on this page.
Elephant: Quick Facts
| Lifespan | ~60–70 years in the wild |
|---|---|
| Weight | ~2,000–5,000 kg (bulls to ~5,400 kg) |
| Shoulder height | ~2–3.5 m |
| Diet | Herbivore — grasses, bark, roots, leaves, fruit |
| Daily intake | Up to ~150 kg of vegetation; 100+ litres of water |
| Gestation | ~22 months (longest of any land mammal) |
| Young per birth | Usually one calf; weaned ~5 years |
| Top speed | ~25–40 km/h in short bursts (cannot truly run or jump) |
| Names | Baby: calf; group: herd; female: cow; male: bull |
| CITES | Appendix I |
Scientific Classification
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Proboscidea |
| Family | Elephantidae |
| Genus | Elephas |
| Species | Elephas maximus (Linnaeus, 1758) |
| Subspecies | E. m. indicus, E. m. maximus, E. m. sumatranus (Bornean elephant assessed separately, Endangered 2024) |
Conservation Status
- IUCN Status
- Endangered
- Population
- ~40,000–50,000 wild Asian elephants (some compilations ~59,000–62,000)
- Trend
- Decreasing
- Assessed
- Assessed 2019, published 2020
- CITES
- Appendix I
African elephants are assessed separately: savanna elephant Endangered (~350,000), forest elephant Critically Endangered (~135,000, 2025 revision).
Did you know?
An elephant's trunk contains roughly 40,000 muscles and is dexterous enough to pick up a single blade of grass, yet powerful enough to uproot a tree.
Key Facts: Elephant
- The Asian elephant is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with an inferred population decline of at least 50% over roughly three generations (about 60–75 years), driven mainly by habitat loss and fragmentation.
- Across Vietnam, Cambodia, and parts of Indonesia, wire snares set for deer and wild pigs maim and kill ground-dwelling wildlife; elephants caught in them suffer severe foot and trunk wounds that can prove fatal.
- Human-elephant conflict is a major source of elephant deaths in much of South and Southeast Asia — for example, Sri Lanka recorded thousands of elephant deaths over the past decade, most of them human-caused.
- Prominent tusks occur mainly in some male Asian elephants; many males are tuskless or carry only short 'tushes', and tusked bulls are specifically targeted by ivory poachers.
- Elephants have a gestation of about 22 months — the longest of any land mammal — and calves are weaned around 5 years, so population recovery is inherently slow.
- Captive elephant welfare in tourist camps, logging operations, and religious institutions across Southeast Asia remains a major ongoing welfare concern.
The Snare Crisis in Southeast Asia
Across Vietnam, Cambodia, and parts of Sumatra, wire snares set by hunters to catch deer, wild pigs, and other animals maim and kill wildlife at an alarming rate. Snares are cheap, durable, and set in vast numbers — surveys in heavily hunted forest have found high snare densities across protected areas. They are described as the single biggest threat to ground-dwelling mammals in the region. Elephants are large enough that many snares fail to hold them, but those that do cause crippling foot and trunk injuries: foot snares force elephants to shift weight abnormally, leading to progressive joint deterioration and, in some cases, death. WARN keeps this regional context live for education while current partner-network funding focuses on Indonesia and Malaysia.
Human-Elephant Conflict
As forest is cleared and agricultural land expands into elephant range, conflict becomes increasingly common. Elephants raid crops — research on human-elephant conflict documents devastating losses to smallholder farms — and people respond with electric fences, firecrackers, and in some cases poison or weapons. Retaliatory killing is a significant source of elephant mortality in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and parts of Africa; in Sri Lanka, government data show only a small fraction of elephant deaths are natural. Effective mitigation requires early-warning systems, compensation schemes that make non-lethal tolerance economically viable for farming households, and land-use planning that maintains wildlife corridors between forest patches.
The Ivory Trade After the Ban
CITES listed the African elephant on Appendix I in 1989, effectively banning the international commercial ivory trade, and poaching fell sharply afterward (the Asian elephant had already been on Appendix I since 1975). But trade never stopped entirely, and a resurgence in the 2000s — driven by rising demand in China and weakened enforcement in several African range states — caused a sharp spike in African elephant poaching. The African forest elephant is now Critically Endangered and the African savanna elephant Endangered. China closed its domestic ivory market at the end of 2017, demand fell, and poaching has trended downward since the mid-2010s, though it remains a concern in parts of Africa. Illegal sales have also shifted from physical dealers to encrypted messaging apps, making detection harder.
Asian vs African savanna vs African forest elephant
| Attribute | Asian | African savanna | African forest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Elephas maximus | Loxodonta africana | Loxodonta cyclotis |
| IUCN status | Endangered | Endangered | Critically Endangered |
| Population | ~40,000–50,000 | ~350,000 | ~135,000 |
| Max weight | ~5,400 kg | 6,000+ kg | ~2,700–6,000 kg |
| Ears | Smaller, rounded | Large, fan-shaped | Smaller, oval |
| Back shape | Arched (highest point) | Saddle / dipped | Rounded |
| Tusks | Mainly some males | Usually both sexes | Both sexes, straighter, downward |
| Trunk tips | Two 'fingers' | Two 'fingers' | Two 'fingers' |
What WARN Does
WARN focuses current elephant rescue funding on Indonesia and Malaysia, supporting partner-led veterinary response, snare-wound treatment, and humane coexistence work while keeping wider range-country threats visible for education.
An elephant's pregnancy lasts nearly two years and a calf depends on its herd for years more, so every injured or orphaned elephant WARN's partner vets treat in Indonesia and Malaysia matters disproportionately to a declining population. Your gift funds the field veterinary response, snare-wound care, and humane-coexistence work that keeps these elephants alive long enough to breed.
How does the elephant compare?
How can I help save the elephant?
There are three practical things that make a real difference for the elephant — and the first is the one that funds everything else.
Fund frontline rescue
Back the partner-led teams, veterinary care and protection that reach elephants where the need is greatest — WARN channels donations straight to that work.
Ease the pressures
Avoid the wildlife trade and souvenirs, never buy wild animals as pets, and choose sustainable, habitat-friendly products — the threats behind the elephant's decline fall when demand does.
Spread the word
Share accurate, sourced information about the elephant. Wider awareness is what turns concern into lasting protection.
Elephant: Frequently Asked Questions
How can I help save the elephant?
How many elephants are left in the world?
How much does an elephant weigh?
How long do elephants live?
Do all elephants have tusks?
Why are elephants killed as crop raiders?
Do elephants really have good memories?
How many muscles are in an elephant's trunk?
How do elephants communicate over long distances?
Are elephants self-aware?
What is the difference between Asian and African elephants?
Sources & References
Population figures, conservation status and biological facts on this page are drawn from authoritative scientific and intergovernmental sources.
- IUCN Red List — Elephas maximus (Asian elephant), 2020 assessment
- IUCN — African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis)
- IUCN — African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana)
- CITES — Appendices (elephant listings)
- WWF — Asian elephant species page
- Smithsonian's National Zoo — Asian elephant fact sheet
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance — Asian elephant
- Britannica — Elephant
Related Rescue Guides
Focused answers for people searching how elephant rescue works in high-need regions.
Thailand · Wildlife tourism welfare
Ethical Wildlife Tourism in Thailand
Ethical wildlife tourism in Thailand means choosing genuine non-contact sanctuaries and avoiding riding, bathing, selfies, performances, cub handling and any venue that breeds or trades animals for visitors.
UK donors · Monthly giving intent
Monthly Donation to Animal Rescue
A monthly donation to animal rescue through WARN provides predictable income that lets the network commit to partner grants, plan veterinary clinics and respond to emergencies — across the 17-country partner network.
UK donors · Elephant rescue intent
Donate to Elephant Rescue Abroad
UK supporters can donate to elephant rescue abroad through WARN by funding partner-led anti-snare patrols, rapid field-veterinary response and humane human–elephant coexistence for Sumatran and Bornean elephants in Indonesia and Malaysia.
UK donors · Gift adoption intent
Animal Charity Gift Adoption in the UK
A UK animal charity gift adoption through WARN is a symbolic monthly or one-off donation allocated to a species rescue programme — dog, cat, elephant, tiger, orangutan, macaw, pangolin or sea turtle from £5/month, with a certificate suitable for birthdays and occasions. It is not ownership of a real animal, and Gift Aid does not apply.
UK donors · Symbolic adoption
Symbolic Animal Adoption UK Charity
Symbolic animal adoption through WARN is a UK-friendly monthly or one-off donation from £5/month directed to a species rescue programme abroad — not ownership of an individual animal, and not Gift Aid eligible because WARN is a registered global not-for-profit, not a UK charity.
UK donors · Monthly sponsorship
Sponsor an Animal Monthly from the UK
You can sponsor an animal monthly from the UK through WARN from £5/month — via symbolic adoption at /adopt or monthly giving at /donate/monthly — funding partner-led CNVR, wildlife rescue and working-animal programmes across 17 countries without individual animal ownership.
Donor intent · Sanctuary giving
Donate to an Animal Sanctuary
Sanctuary donations typically fund daily care, veterinary bills and enclosure costs at a specific facility — WARN does not operate its own sanctuaries but makes grants to established partner sanctuaries and rehabilitation centres across 17 countries, channelling your gift through /donate or species appeals at /appeals.
Donor intent · International welfare
Help Animals Abroad
You can help animals abroad through WARN by donating at /donate or /appeals — gifts fund vetted partner-led CNVR for street dogs, community cat TNVR, wildlife anti-trafficking and working-equine clinics across South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Africa, Southern Africa and South America.
Occasion giving · Rescue gifts
Animal Rescue Charity Gift
An animal rescue charity gift through WARN is a symbolic adoption from £5/month at /adopt, a monthly sponsorship at /donate/monthly, or a one-off appeal donation at /appeals — honest programme support abroad with a gift certificate emailed on request, not ownership of an individual animal.
Corporate giving · CSR
Corporate Donation to Animal Charity
Companies can make corporate donations to animal welfare through WARN at /donate or by emailing for partnership arrangements — gifts fund vetted partner-led CNVR, wildlife rescue and working-animal programmes across 17 countries, with transparent registration for CSR due diligence at /about/registration-status.
Legacy giving · Wills
Leave a Gift in Your Will for Animal Welfare
You can leave a gift in your will for animal welfare to WARN using the exact legal name World Animal Rescue Network CIC and company number 17298990 — your solicitor should use the registered company name and number in the will clause; WARN is a UK CIC global not-for-profit, not a registered charity.
Occasion giving · Birthdays
Birthday Animal Sponsorship Gift
A birthday animal sponsorship gift through WARN is symbolic adoption from £5/month at /adopt — complete checkout, email WARN for a birthday gift certificate, with honest framing that funds partner-led rescue programmes abroad rather than individual animal ownership.
UK donors · Elephant sponsorship
Sponsor an Elephant from the UK
You can sponsor an elephant from the UK through WARN from £5/month at /adopt/elephant or /donate/monthly — sponsorship funds anti-snare patrols, field veterinary response and human–elephant coexistence in Indonesia and Malaysia, not ownership of a named individual elephant.
US donors · Elephant sponsorship
Sponsor an Elephant from the United States
You can sponsor an elephant from the US through WARN from $5/month at /adopt/elephant — sponsorship funds anti-snare patrols, field veterinary response and human–elephant coexistence in Indonesia and Malaysia, not ownership of a named individual elephant.
UK donors · Symbolic elephant adoption
Adopt an Elephant from the UK
You can adopt an elephant from the UK through WARN's symbolic adoption from £5/month at /adopt/elephant — your gift funds partner-led anti-snare patrols, veterinary response and coexistence in Indonesia and Malaysia, not ownership of a named individual elephant.
US donors · Symbolic elephant adoption
Adopt an Elephant from the United States
You can adopt an elephant from the US through WARN's symbolic adoption from $5/month at /adopt/elephant — your gift funds partner-led anti-snare patrols, veterinary response and coexistence in Indonesia and Malaysia, not ownership of a named individual elephant.
Terms used on this page
Plain-English definitions, from our wildlife and conservation glossary.
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