Chinese scientists are researching to create a tuskless elephant breed to curb poaching.
In order to develop this type of elephant, researchers have discovered that about 5% of Asian elephants are tuskless. The genes for this trait can be found in 10% of male elephants in southeastern Yunnan, China, which is home to the largest elephant population in the country.
Breeding tuskless elephants based on these findings would be a significant success in reducing the pressure of human poaching for ivory.
VAN NGUYEN
