The July issue of Smithsonian Magazine has a lengthy feature on the crisis facing elephants in Africa, with writer Joshua Hammer explaining, "Of the 50,000 elephants that roamed Chad 50 years ago, barely 2 percent are left. In the neighboring Central African Republic and Cameroon, the population may be even lower. Poverty, bribery and insecurity are all contributing factors in a region where a single large tusk can sell on the black market for $6,000—ten times the annual salary of a typical worker."
Quoted in the piece is Stanford's Caitlin O’Connell-Rodwell, PhD, a consulting assistant professor of otolaryngology, who has done extensive field work with the animals. She describes the connection between elephants and humans and expresses deep concern about the animals' risk of becoming extinct:
“What is special about elephants is just how similar they are to us—socially and developmentally,” says Caitlin O’Connell-Rodwell, a Stanford ecologist who has written four books based on her Namibian field research on elephants. “If you watch a family group reuniting, their behavior is exactly like ours—the little cousins darting off together, the elaborate greetings of adults. Elephants offer a way of looking into the mirror, for better or worse,” she adds. “If we value human rights, we should also value animals that have the same level of sophistication that we do. We should keep those beings with us here on earth.”
Previously: Listening to elephants, communicating science, and inspiring the next generation of researchers, Elephants chat a bit before departing water hole, new Stanford research shows and Researcher dishes on African elephant soap opera
Photo by Caitlin O'Connell-Rodwell and Timothy Rodwell
