Losing the elephants

Their lifespan can reach well into the nineties. They recognize their own reflections in a mirror. Family values are paramount. Memories are held onto for a life time. Why then are we letting Elephants slide towards the edge of collapse? They are big, beautiful, smart, and social, and throughout Asia they are facing their own mortality. Should it be a priority in our modern world to shepard any species, especially one that is on an order of intelligence approaching our own, to some sort of long term survival? The plight of Asian Elephants challenges us to think about our relationship to the beings around us.