How Much Does An Elephant Cost?

With their characteristic long trunks, large, velvety, wide ears, and thick legs, elephants are unique. There is no other animal with a similar physique.

Most experts recognize two species of elephants: The Asian elephant, Elephas maximus, and the African elephant, Loxodonta Africana, which live on separate continents and have many unique characteristics. There are several subspecies belonging to one or the other of these two main species, although experts are still discussing how many subspecies actually exist and whether or not they constitute separate species.

African elephants are the largest of the two species. They grow up to 4 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh up to 6,350 pounds, according to National Geographic. Asian elephants are only slightly smaller, growing between 2 and 3 m tall at the shoulder and weighing between 2,000 and 4,900 kg. In the wild, African elephants can live up to 70 years, while Asian elephants can live up to 60 years.

How much does a baby elephant cost?

A baby elephant costs about $100,000. This amount is usually paid for caring for and housing the pet in an environment that meets federal regulations. Depending on the size and the pedigree line of a baby elephant its price can reach up to $1 million, and in some cases even more.

How much does it cost to keep an elephant?

Elephants often get sick because they are kept in dirty stables and they are forced to eat on dirty floors. Also, many elephants are not properly cared for. Animals must be kept as clean as possible to survive, having animal care personnel that uses a pressure water cleaner daily to clean the stables and the open spaces where elephants live. This removes the dirt that is gathered there.

Elephant babies should also get a small shower using a garden hose. Many elephant owners are not aware of how important the hygiene of the space in which an elephant lives really is. For this reason, the average price for housing an elephant can be around $3,000 to $4,000 per month, with an average of $40,000 per year without the feeding costs.

As we mentioned above, an elephant eats quite a lot, so you’ll have to take into account another cost for each month.

Besides the costs necessary for a proper life, there will also be frequent veterinary bills or any other supplies.

Additional costs

• Legal fees associated with ownership;
• Fees when buying an elephant;
• Filing fees for the permit;
• Annual filing fees after having the permit.

What factors determine the price of an elephant?

The price of an elephant depends greatly on its age, size, or gender. Expect to pay a lot more for a female than for a male.

Another factor is whether you buy it from a reputable breeder or from someone that caught it in the wild, as the first one will cost more.

The third factor that influences the price is the location. Elephants bought from India are cheaper than those bought from Africa or Thailand because there they don’t have the financial resources to offer them expensive food.

How much does it cost to hunt an elephant?

The number of elephants in Botswana has tripled since 1991, to 160,000. Because of the ban on hunting, the number of conflicts between farmers and animals has increased, because they destroy crops and threaten farmers’ livelihoods.

While hunting will not significantly reduce the number of elephants, communities in the areas where elephants live could benefit from the proceeds of hunting. In neighboring countries, where elephant hunting is legal, hunting a single elephant costs an average of $45,000.

You might also like our articles about the cost of a giraffe, zebra, or monkey.

Most Botswana elephants live in the northeast of the country and frequently cross into Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, which have their own elephant populations. It is estimated that there are about 415,000 elephants in Africa, a population that has been decimated by ivory poaching, especially in East Africa.

How much is an elephant tusk worth?

Elephant tusks are used to produce ivory, a hard white substance found only in the teeth and tusks of certain mammals. Ivory itself is used to make a variety of items that are usually used to show wealth, abundance, or importance.

Like many gemstones, ivory is expensive, but it is not practical. Both tusks of an adult elephant can weigh about 250 pounds, and one pound of ivory can reach $1500 on the black market. The uses for ivory are mainly decorative. Ivory carving is used to make works of art, religious objects, and decorative boxes for expensive objects.

Although international trade in Asian elephant ivory has been banned since 1975, elephant tusks are used worldwide. The largest ivory market is in East Asia. Mexicans use ivory to carve images of deities, pipes, daggers, chopsticks, jewelry, ornaments, souvenirs, and hair accessories. Some Asian nations also value elephant tusks for their apparent medicinal properties. Even though there is much scientific evidence that confirmed the lack of medicinal properties in ivory, the demand is still high.

Is it legal to buy elephants?

In order to export these animals, buyers will have to ensure that the requirements of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) are met, both in the country of export and in the country of import, so that the transaction is authorized.

What does the elephant eat?

Elephants eat roots, grass, fruit, and bark. An adult elephant can consume up to 300 pounds of food just in a single day. These hungry animals don’t sleep too much, wandering long distances as they search for food, in order to support their massive bodies.

Because elephants eat so much, they get more and more in contact with humans. An elephant can destroy an entire harvest season in one night. A series of conservation programs work with farmers to help protect their crops and provide compensation when an elephant attacks them.

Both species eat all types of vegetation, including a variety of herbs, fruits, leaves, bark and roots. They spend about 16 hours eating, consuming between 75 to 150 kg of food per day.