The African Elephant, known scientifically as Loxodonta africana, is the largest land animal on Earth. These gentle giants also possess long, curved ivory tusks that grow throughout their lives. They are characterized by their enormous size, with males standing around 10 to 13 feet tall at the shoulder and weighing up to 14,000 pounds, while females are slightly smaller. African Elephants have a distinctive trunk that they use for various purposes, including drinking, feeding, and communication. Their large ears, shaped like the African continent, help to keep them cool in the hot African savannahs where they roam.
Given their tremendous size and strength, elephants have few predators to worry about. While most animals give them a wide berth, elephants do share their territory with tough competition. However, young elephants are vulnerable to being preyed upon by lions and crocodiles. It is not uncommon for young or weak elephants to be targeted by predators such as lions, hyenas, and crocodiles. In fact, studies have shown that up to 10% of elephant deaths in some populations can be attributed to predation.
Here are some of the animals that can attack and defeat or even kill an elephant, each in their own special way:
Lions
Lions are elephants’ number one natural enemy and another member of the Big Five.
TWO LION hunting Elephant
If lionesses decide to attack an elephant, they are most likely to do so as a pack and target the young, sick, or old, which are weaker and easier to defeat. They are also more likely to target females, who have shorter tusks and are somewhat smaller. A lion has enough strength to defeat a baby elephant on his own. Lions’ main prey are zebras, buffalo, wildebeests, and giraffes. They usually only go after elephants if there is no easier prey to find and the opportunity arises.
Read also: Experience Fad's Fine African Cuisine
Crocodiles
Crocodile attacks on elephants are common when populations of elephants live near the river. Crocodiles are more likely to attack an elephant when it lives close to the river. The highly territorial saltwater and Nile crocodile species attack when anyone disturbs them, especially during the mating season.
What is most likely to kill an elephant is the crocodile biting the elephant’s trunk off. The elephant may then die as a result of not being able to eat and drink properly, or even breathe.
Hyenas
Hyenas either attack baby elephants or eat them alive. Hyenas are much smaller and don’t have much in the way of armed attacks against elephants, so it’s easy to assume there’s no way these animals could attack, much less kill an elephant. But what they lack in size and killing power against large prey, they make up for in wits. As with defeating buffalo, hyenas attack in packs to kill baby elephants or can simply eat them alive.
Wild Dogs
Wild dogs surround a mother elephant so that she has no way out. Wild dogs are about as capable as hyenas in being able to attack, defeat, and kill an elephant. However, they prefer to hunt in packs against a mother elephant giving birth or a baby elephant. They are opportunistic hunters who will surround an elephant that has wandered into an area it can’t easily get out of.
Wild dogs are very intelligent and may try to chase an elephant, or other prey, into a hazardous area with no good escape routes. They attack in packs with each individual dashing in for a quick strike while their prey is distracted by a strike coming from a different direction. Working as a team, a pack can bring down an elephant.
Read also: The Story Behind Cachapas
Elephants
It is rare for an elephant to kill another elephant, but it can certainly be done. Mating season is a dangerous time for male elephants who become incredibly angry at each other and will fight to the death. They will even attack family members, including their own calves, while their hormones are out of control. This usually only occurs in areas where elephants feel crowded or where resources are scarce.
King Cobra
One might think a giant snake such as a reticulated python or anaconda would be likely to defeat an elephant, but that’s not true. Neither of them has the strength to kill elephants. This is where the king cobra comes in. It is not likely to waste its venom on offensively attacking animals that are not its prey, but it will bite if it feels threatened. In doing so, it can release venom that is enough to kill even a full-grown elephant.
Humans
Forest elephants continue to be threatened by a number of issues, the majority of which are human-caused.
Illegal Trade
The illegal poaching of elephants for their ivory tusks is one of the main causes of elephant mortality. Although the ivory trade is banned in many countries across the world, consumers can still purchase ivory in countries such as Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, where trade remains legal. Although only existing antique ivory can be legally traded, in reality, the industry continues to poach elephants and procure new stocks of ivory to meet demand.
In fact, activities have increased since 2008, with poachers killing around 20,000 African elephants each year. Reasons for buying ivory vary among consumers. Some consider it spiritually significant while others, calling it “white gold,” use it as a symbol of wealth and status. It’s also used for investment purposes, as it’s rarer than many precious metals and retains its value.
Read also: Techniques of African Jewellery
Habitat Loss
African elephants need large spaces to inhabit so they can obtain the large amounts of food they need without over-foraging in one area. However, the land available to them has more than halved since 1979. Humans have converted much of the land for residential development, farming, plantations, transportation, and mining.
Loss of habitat is a significant factor in the current population reduction and also puts a definite and restrictive limit on the elephants’ ability to recover their numbers. With only a fraction of the land they once had, only a population a fraction of the size can be sustained.
Human Conflict
Because human settlements are now so close to forest elephant habitats, conflicts between the two are more common. When forest elephants wander into human settlements, they often destroy crops and buildings as they search for food. This results in elephants facing persecution from workers and landowners who feel the need to take lethal measures to protect their jobs or assets.
In some areas, education programs encourage nonlethal methods to prevent forest elephants from trampling crops.
Defense Mechanisms
African Elephants have several ways to defend themselves against threats. They use their tusks for protection and to intimidate predators, as well as their trunk for grabbing and throwing objects. They also exhibit defensive behaviors such as charging, trumpeting, and forming defensive circles with their young in the center.
The African Elephant's biggest weakness in a fight is its sensitive trunk. An injury to the trunk can severely hinder an elephant's ability to defend itself, gather food, and communicate with other elephants. As such, predators or rival elephants may target the trunk as a vulnerable spot in a fight.
There are a number of different ways an animal can attack, defeat, or kill an elephant. Many ways involve packs of the same species coming together to take down an elephant, while others involve one-on-one battles resulting in a fatal attack. While some animals succeed in killing elephants, it is, in fact, life-threatening for the attacker. Elephants are very capable of defending themselves and it is just likely that the attacker will end up losing the fight, which is why it is very old, very young, or infirm elephants that are most likely to fall prey.
