These animals use varied habitats, from deep forests and marshlands to open savannahs, thornbrush and semi-desert grasslands. Their status is endangered in the wild, due to human encroachment on their habitat and excessive poaching for ivory. In Kenya alone, elephant numbers have dropped from 150,000 to 30,000 in the last ten years. Elephants are strictly herbivores, or vegetarians, eating mainly grasses,trees, bark, shrubs and fruits in the wild. In captivity, their diet may come in a nutritionally complete pellet form.
Variety offers the elephants enrichment.
Elephants need to consume up to 500 lbs. The skin around the inner ear, mouth and anus is the only skin which is not thick. Elephants are also covered sparsely with bristle-hair. Babies have more hair at birth. Elephants are usually gray in color, but sometimes they appear reddish or brown, due to wallowing in mudholes.