Sumatran Elephants in the Danger Zone    [03-02-2012] Wildlife experts have warned that the Sumatran elephant could go extinct within three decades. The situation seems serious and urgent. If no actions are taken, the endangered species will soon disappear from the face of the Earth. Environmentalists blamed deforestation and human activity in the elephants’ natural habitats as the root of the problem. The International Union for Conservation of Nature recently put the species on the “critically endangered” animals list. In 1985, there were about 5,000 Sumatran elephants in the Indonesian region. Now, experts estimate that there are only 2,400 to 2,800 left in the wild. Their population decrease is mainly because of loggers, paper producing corporations, palm oil companies, and pulp gathering industries. Sumatra has a large number of Asian elephants outside of India and Sri Lanka. The island is also home to tigers, orangutans, and rhino species. “The Sumatran elephant joins a growing list of Indonesian species that are critically endangered,” said Carlos Drews. “Unless urgent and effective conservation action is taken, these magnificent animals are likely to go extinct within our lifetime.” Drews works with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)세계야생생물기금, a conservation group. Many Asian elephants are poached for their ivory tusks. In other cases, elephants are killed in self-defense. The endangered Indonesian elephants sometimes encroach villages or human-populated areas in search for food. Many times, they destroy crops or attack humans. Therefore, fewer Indonesian natives sympathize with the Sumatran elephants.     출처: 어린이 영자신문 키즈타임즈 (www.kidstimes.net)