LONDON: Evolution is helping elephants to fight back against poachers - more of these giant animals are now being born with smaller tusks because hunting for ivory is reducing the gene pool.
According to a study by a joint team of researchers from Oxford University and British conservation charity Save the Elephants, poaching of large male elephants for ivory has changed the natural breeding behaviour of these animals.
In fact, hunting is allowing smaller ones with shorter tusks to produce more calves and over time, the average tusk size has been decreasing. "What appears to be the case is that average tusk sizes have decreased greatly since the mid-19th century. The data comes from the trade statistics and from records of hunters around Africa who find that large trophies are very much harder to find....
Dr. Terry Mortenson | 1/15/2009
