ELEPHANTS IN THE EASTERN PROVINCE

BY IRENE

It was a cool, sunny afternoon and the journalism class of six girls from St. Clare together with their teacher Madam Lisa, and Sister Kathryn, a nun from the United States of America, were taking a walk to the nearby forest to watch the elephants. These are huge animals that live in the jungle.

African elephants are black in colour and huge in size and they weigh a lot of kilograms. The government has tried its best to provide security for the people living around the forest. In earlier years the elephants were always disturbing people and destroying their gardens and crops and sometimes also killed people. For this reason they posed a great danger to people. This did not go on for a long time since the government came up with a solution.  It provided electrical fence that prevents the dangerous animals from attacking people.

Elephants live in large groups that are comprised of male and female elephants.  They move together with their calves.  While grazing, one male elephant guards the others to provide security for the grazing elephants.  They eat grass and the leaves of trees.  Elephants are classified as herbivores due to their mode of feeding.

Elephants mate to have calves.  Their gestation period is one year and the female gives birth to a calf.  The calf grows under the care of its mother and when it is old enough it becomes independent.

 The existence of elephants has a great importance in our country.  They attract tourists from all over the world and by so doing they bring foreign money which the government uses to boost the economy of the country. The elephants have tusks that are very valuable. Because of this ivory hunters kill them. The government has fought a big fight in order to protect the elephants.  It has set laws on how to take care of wildlife, which are usually followed, and the lawbreakers are put in jail for hunting. Everyone should protect his/her country’s heritage.