Through man's inexorable spread, the elephant is losing more and more of its original habitat. The World Wildlife Fund has now published a warning issued by Asian zoologists. Apparently, Asian elephants are being edged into increasingly small forested areas. Unable to find enough food, the hungry animals regularly raid fields and villages. The latter take revenge by shooting or poisoning the animals.
Similar conditions reign in many Asian countries.
In Cambodia, the wild elephant population has declined from formerly 2,000 animals to just 400. In Vietnam, the figure dwindled from 1,500 to just 150 animals. Zoologists and conservationists are now demanding that sufficient living space be ensured for the few remaining Asian elephants.