Threats
The major threat facing the Asian elephant today is habitat loss resulting from deforestation. Other causes include poaching for ivory, isolation of elephant populations and human-elephant conflict. In Burma, some young wild-born elephants are removed from their mothers, which are often killed in the process, for use in Thailand's tourism industry. The calves are often subjected to a 'breaking in' process, which may involve being tied up, confined, starved, beaten and tortured; as a result, two-thirds may perish. Some calves are placed alongside unrelated female elephants to suggest they are with their mothers.
Development such as border fencing along the India-Bangladesh border has become a major impediment to the free movement of elephants.
Read more about this topic: Asian Elephant
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