Elephants

Elephants are the largest living land mammals on the planet. As ecosystem engineers, they play a critical role in maintaining a healthy environment and ensuring the survival of many other animal and plant species.

But elephants are under threat. Elephant habitat destruction, climate change, and poaching mean elephant populations in Africa and Asia are decreasing.

Here, you can discover our elephant protection campaigns and what you can do to help. You can also find ethical tourism venues and read our latest elephant facts and reports.

On this page

• Elephant facts and information
• Elephant dangers and threats
• Elephant tourism: Ethical guidelines 2026
• Elephant videos
• Elephant reports and research
• Elephant-related campaigns
• Elephant news
• How to help protect elephants
• Frequently asked questions about elephant protection

Elephant facts and information

Did you know that there are three different species of elephant? Or that African elephants have more wrinkles than Asian elephants? Or that a baby elephant weighs a whopping 100kg?

If you want to learn more about elephants, take a look at our latest resources:

Elephant dangers and threats

Elephants are intelligent, social animals with complex emotional lives. But today, they face a growing number of human-driven threats that put their survival and wellbeing at risk. From habitat destruction to exploitation for profit, these pressures not only reduce elephant populations but also cause long-term suffering, stress, and disruption to their family groups.

Understanding these threats is essential to protecting elephants and ensuring they can live freely in the wild.

Elephant poaching

Elephant poaching remains one of the most urgent threats to their survival, with elephants illegally killed for their ivory despite international bans. Poaching is driven by demand for ivory products, as well as broader wildlife commercial exploitation linked to tourism and entertainment industries. Beyond the immediate loss of life, poaching devastates elephant families: young elephants can be left orphaned, and entire herds experience trauma and disruption. In some cases, policies such as culling further threaten populations under the justification of population control.

Elephant captive breeding

Elephant captive breeding is widely used to supply animals to the tourism and entertainment industries, where elephants are kept in unnatural conditions and denied the ability to express natural behaviours. Many captive elephant tourism experiences, including bathing and close interactions, are marketed as ethical but often involve hidden cruelty and long-term suffering. These practices reinforce a cycle of exploitation that prioritises profit over welfare.

Elephant habitat loss

Across Africa and Asia, elephants are losing their natural habitats due to deforestation, agricultural expansion, and infrastructure development. As forests are cleared and landscapes fragmented, elephants are pushed into smaller, less suitable areas, often bringing them into closer contact with humans. This leads to increased conflict, restricted movement, and reduced access to food and water. Over time, elephant habitat loss not only threatens populations but also impacts their physical and emotional wellbeing. Learn more about habitat loss, and how habitat loss increases animal stress and suffering.

Elephant reports and research

Explore our latest reports and research on elephants, including insights into the impacts of tourism, exploitation, and habitat loss. These resources provide evidence-based analysis to help inform better decisions and strengthen efforts to protect elephants and improve their welfare.

Read our key findings from 16 years' worth of research on elephant welfare and find links to download past reports.

Elephant-related campaigns

World Animal Protection runs a number of campaigns in support of elephants. We’re protecting elephants from exploitation, encouraging governments to create stronger wildlife protection laws, and fighting to safeguard elephant habitats.

Learn more about our work below.

Elephant news

Get up-to-speed on the latest news about elephants and elephant conservation.

How to help protect elephants

Elephants are a keystone species, meaning they shape their environment in important ways. They clear vegetation, spread seeds, and dig for water, creating habitats and resources that other animals depend on. When elephants thrive, the plants and animals in their ecosystems thrive too.

But elephants are endangered, and their numbers are decreasing. So it’s up to us — and you — to protect them and their wider ecosystems.

Help us save the elephants by:

• Raising awareness of elephant threats and conservation programs
• Lobbying governments for better animal protection and stronger laws around wildlife trade
• Supporting ethical elephant sanctuaries and boycotting unethical tour companies

You can also support the work we do here at World Animal Protection by donating today. Your donation allows us to continue elephant conservation and protection campaigns across the world.

Donate to help elephants

Frequently asked questions about elephant protection

Looking for more information about how elephants are protected and what you can do to help? Here are answers to some of the most common questions about elephant protection, conservation efforts, and animal welfare.

What threats do elephants face today?

Elephants face a range of human-driven threats that impact both their survival and wellbeing. These include habitat loss, poaching for ivory, and exploitation in tourism and entertainment. Beyond reducing populations, these pressures cause long-term suffering, stress, and disruption to elephant families, which rely on strong social bonds to thrive.

Why do elephants need protection?

Elephants need protection because they are intelligent, social and sentient animals, capable of experiencing emotions such as joy, grief, and distress. Human activities continue to put them at risk, both in the wild and in captivity. Protecting elephants means not only preventing their decline, but also ensuring they can live free from suffering, express natural behaviours, and remain with their families.

Are elephants endangered?

Asian elephants are classified as endangered, while African elephants are listed as vulnerable or endangered depending on the species. Despite legal protections, both continue to face significant threats from human activities. Without stronger action to address these pressures, elephant populations and their wellbeing will remain at risk.

What is being done to protect elephants?

Efforts to protect elephants include strengthening wildlife laws, tackling illegal trade, protecting habitats, and ending the commercial exploitation of elephants in tourism and entertainment. World Animal Protection works to raise awareness, influence policy, and promote alternatives that respect elephants’ needs and natural behaviours.

How can people help protect elephants?

People can help protect elephants by choosing not to support attractions that exploit them, such as riding or close-contact experiences. Supporting ethical tourism, raising awareness, and backing organisations working to end cruelty and protect habitats all contribute to better outcomes for elephants.

Why is protecting elephants important?

Protecting elephants is important not only for their survival, but for their wellbeing and the health of the ecosystems they support. Elephants play a key role in shaping landscapes and maintaining biodiversity. When elephants are protected, entire ecosystems benefit.