African Bush Elephants

The African bush (or savanna) elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the largest terrestrial land animal currently living. There are three species of elephants: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis), and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). African bush elephants are the largest of the three. The elephants in these photos are all African bush elephants.

The African bush elephant is listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2020) with a current population trend that is decreasing.

Excess demand for ivory is the root of the elephant poaching crisis. All other efforts to stop the killing of elephants will be useless if the world doesn’t stop buying ivory.

—Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton CBE, Founder and Senior Scientist, Save The Elephants