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Tracing the Source of the Elephant And Hippopotamus Ivory from ...

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Figure 24: A reconstruction <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Syrian elephants’ range, primarily based on rainfall<br />

per annum (<strong>from</strong> Miller 1986: 31, figure 1).<br />

elephants’ demise was not so clear cut, and that o<strong>the</strong>r factors (such as, possibly, over-<br />

hunting for ivory) were at work. Moreover, <strong>the</strong> elephants’ ecological requirements are<br />

not so dependent on forest resources. The fact that studies on Asian elephants, such as<br />

Sukumar et al. (1987), showed a preference for browse does not mean that Asian<br />

elephants cannot exist in o<strong>the</strong>r habitats. We do not know how Asian elephants would<br />

react to desert or savanna environments, such as those in <strong>the</strong> Namib Desert or East<br />

Africa, but considering that Asian and African elephants are extraordinarily similar<br />

overall, it may be surmised that Asian (and Syrian) elephants are able to dwell in habitats<br />

53

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