A population is dynamic which means that it is always fluctuating and going down or up. This is dependent on the available resources in the environment and the immigration of the population. With the Sumatran elephants, the situation is more specific since throughout the course of the past 30 years, the population has only decreased.
Between 1985 to 2015, a 30 year difference, the population number of the elephants decreased 50% from roughly 4800 to about 2400. In the future, in the next 30 years (2045), the Sumatran elephant population will be completely extinct if the limiting factors remain the same.
There is a direct relationship between population size and the number of available resources.
There is a direct relationship between population size and the number of available resources.
The reason for the decrease in growth of the population is the destruction of 70% of their natural habitat. In fact, throughout the past 25 years was when the biggest decline of available forest was observed. In fact, more than 2/3 of the Sumatran forests have been lost.
There are three national parks which hold the Sumatran elephants for protection and in order to save their species. These parks are Gunung Leucer, which is the largest of the three and is located on the northern part of Sumatra. The second one is Kernici Sablat which is is in the central part of the island. The last one is Bukit Barisan Selatan which is on the southern part of Sumatra and although all three of these parks have elephants, Bukit Barisan Selatan has the most, with 500 elephants which is roughly 20% of the entire remaining elephant population.
There are three national parks which hold the Sumatran elephants for protection and in order to save their species. These parks are Gunung Leucer, which is the largest of the three and is located on the northern part of Sumatra. The second one is Kernici Sablat which is is in the central part of the island. The last one is Bukit Barisan Selatan which is on the southern part of Sumatra and although all three of these parks have elephants, Bukit Barisan Selatan has the most, with 500 elephants which is roughly 20% of the entire remaining elephant population.
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The remaining 80% live out of the national parks and in other parts of Sumatra such as in Riau. Although there were several parts of Sumatra that were home to many elephants, Riau had the most and this is just one example of how the elephant population changed in this province. Riau is a province located in central Sumatra. In 1985, there were 1600 elephants in Riau but in 2008, surveys showed that there were only 500 elephants left. In 2009, it showed that out of the nine forest blocks in Riau, six herd had gone extinct.
Another example is in Lampung, which is located on the southern tip of Sumatra. In 2002, elephants had gone extinct in nine out of the twelve elephant ranges which were recorded in Lampung in the early 1980's. At the moment, population estimates are only available in Way Kambas and in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Parks as these are protected areas for the elephants. In 1989, 12 out of the 44 elephant populations occured in Lampung but in 2002, only three were still existent and one of those was not considered viable.
As a conclusion, although there are certain instances when tigers eat younger elephants, that does not impact the decline of their population. Just like the case with the tiger, forest fires, strong lightning, volcano eruptions and infectious diseases may impact the population growth but in a very small way that it may even be unmentionable. The true reason for them being classified as critically endangered is due to human impact in cutting down trees and taking away the homes of these elephants. By doing this, they receive materials such as oils and coffee but are creating a serious and tragic situation for these helpless animals.
Another example is in Lampung, which is located on the southern tip of Sumatra. In 2002, elephants had gone extinct in nine out of the twelve elephant ranges which were recorded in Lampung in the early 1980's. At the moment, population estimates are only available in Way Kambas and in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Parks as these are protected areas for the elephants. In 1989, 12 out of the 44 elephant populations occured in Lampung but in 2002, only three were still existent and one of those was not considered viable.
As a conclusion, although there are certain instances when tigers eat younger elephants, that does not impact the decline of their population. Just like the case with the tiger, forest fires, strong lightning, volcano eruptions and infectious diseases may impact the population growth but in a very small way that it may even be unmentionable. The true reason for them being classified as critically endangered is due to human impact in cutting down trees and taking away the homes of these elephants. By doing this, they receive materials such as oils and coffee but are creating a serious and tragic situation for these helpless animals.