The African Elephant
WHY SHOULD YOU CARE ABOUT ELEPHANTS?
Elephants are not just iconic and adorable animals. They are also essential to and provide so many services to their ecosystems. They help all the smaller species to have room by trampling forests of grasses, their digging in riverbeds creates water holes for other animals to use, and when traveling in groups, they disperse seeds in their waste over great distances. They are absolutely essential to creating new growth in the savannah. (American Wildlife Foundation, 2021) When elephants feed, they break up the plant life, making an area for new vegetation to grow. Elephants are a Keystone species and are essential to maintaining the savannah’s biodiversity. (Save The Elephants, 2017)
WHAT IS THE SAVANNAH?
The Savannah is an ecosystem where there is constant sunlight covering the ground, trees are dispersed allowing minimal canopy cover, and it is mostly covered by grasses. Savannahs are a hub for sub-Saharan African agriculture and pastures. Savannahs, more than anything, are home to the largest populations of animals on the planet. (Aleman, 2017)