The Forest Elephant

The forest elephant is a subspecies of African elephant that primarily inhabits the dense tropical rainforests of Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Namibia, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It is the smaller of the two subspecies of African elephant, standing between 8 and 10 feet tall and weighing between 4,000 and 10,000 pounds. It is also distinguishable from the other subspecies of African elephant, the savanna elephant, by its more oval-shaped ears, its straighter and downward-pointing tusks, and its different sized and shaped skull and skeleton.

The forest elephant is classified as a Vulnerable species. It is this close to becoming extinct for three reasons. The first reason is that its habitat is being fragmented and destroyed by the mining, logging, and biofuel industries. The second reason is that it is killed by the people around its habitat for damaging their crops and/or villages. The third reason is that it is hunted for its meat and ivory. Because of this, the World Wildlife Fund's (WWF's) effort to save it consists of striving to end the hunting of it, especially in its protected areas, by discouraging the trade of its meat and decreasing the dependence of the people around its habitat on its meat as a source of food and/or income. This is being done because it plays an essential role in the continued health of its habitat, as trees can only grow there through its efforts.

Source for picture and all information: https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/forest-elephant