Endangered Asian ElephantWhat can be done to prevent the extinction of the endangered Asian Elephant - Elephas Maximus?IntroductionElephants are the largest land mammals, however, the Asian elephant (Elephas Maximus) is slightly smaller than the African elephant and is distinguished by its smaller, more rounded ears. The Asian elephant is a beautiful and intelligent creature found in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries. The large mammal radiates heat from its ears to keep it cool, but this is often not enough, so they cool off in springs by using their multifunctional trunks to splash water on themselves. 1Asian elephants live in grassy areas near or in forests. The herds are made up of females related to the eldest who leads the herd, called the matriarch. The herds help protect newborns as they are preyed upon by tigers. Males leave the herds when they reach adolescence and form smaller herds with others their age until they leave to live as solitary bulls. They approach females only during the breeding season. Despite this, the adult Asian elephant has no natural predators; it is still highly endangered and it is estimated that there are only around 35,000-40,000 left in the wild. 1The main problem for these creatures is human conflict. First, their habitats are being destroyed due to mass deforestation to make money and provide areas for settlements. This causes problems as elephants often enter villages as they are so close due to their increasingly smaller habitat areas. This creates tension with the locals because elephants usually trample crops and other things in their path, so they are seen as a nuisance. In some areas it has caused such a problem that…half the paper…is too small to make a significant difference. The projects have been carried out with much enthusiasm and activities so far include: mushroom cultivation, sewing, fruit drying, waste recycling, herbal nurseries for traditional remedies and native tree nurseries. This is a good solution since the villagers can stay where they are, so no expensive incentives are needed to convince them to move. Figure 8 shows the forests without the initiatives.6 Finally there is the most controversial view: doing nothing. While some believe we have a duty to protect all the wonderful creatures on our planet, others say we should simply let nature take its course and that if elephants can't adapt, Mother Nature dictates they won't survive. However, this view faces much opposition since elephants are such an important part of the ecosystem, being a keystone species.