BIODIVERSITY ACTION PLAN: ASIAN ELEPHANTS

BIODIVERSITY

• The diversity and variety of biotic factors in an environment
• Animals, insects, and plant species interact
• Species depend on each other for what they offer
• The more humans there are, the more resources they need

5 PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

• Ears: constantly move; help keep cool
• Trunk: smelling, breathing, trumpeting, drinking, grabbing food
• Tusks: dig for roots/water; strip bark from trees; fight
• Color: gray color conceals them in shady habitat
• Feet: wide and padded; enables them to walk quickly

3 BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERISTICS

• Herds: mostly females; matriarch is oldest/largest
• Musth: males become aggressive/dominant
• Communication: different frequencies mean different things

REPRODUCTIVE INFORMATION

• Mating season: during rainy season
• Gestation: 22 months
• Offspring: 1 calf, twins rare
• Care: all members of herd care for calves

PREDATOR/PREY

• Asian elephants are herbivores
• Consume grasses, leaves, bamboo, bark, roots
• Adult elephants eat 300-400 lbs everyday
• Calves are subject to predation by lions and tigers
• Human hunters are a danger

EVIDENCE FOR CONCERN

EVIDENCE FOR CONCERN

ACTION PLAN

• What: Add on to the Thailand Elephant Sanctuary
• Where: A 2000ft2 classroom near Bangkok, Thailand
• Who: Volunteers, a team of workers
• When: Starts as soon as possible, is ongoing

ACTION PLAN: HOW

ACTION PLAN CAMPAIGN

• Target audience: Everyone, especially adults
• Message: Save the elephants
• Media: T-shirts, sold online (worldwide)
• Success: the amount of monetary profits and volunteers

CONCLUSION