Elephants

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https://portals.iucn.org/library/efiles/documents/ssc-op-029.pdf⁠

Partly as a result of its geographical location, the West Africa region has a longer and more extensive history of contacts with outside cultures than the other regions. Elephants were widely distributed in West Africa in classical times (Scullard, 1974), and for centuries ivory was transported to ports on the Mediterranean (Wilson and Ayerst, 1976), and later to the Atlantic, where it was sold to foreign traders. Colonial penetration inland began in the 19th century, and ivory exports from the region increased until elephant populations collapsed early in the 20th century (Roth and Douglas-Hamilton, 1991). Human populations grew exponentially in the 20th century, and habitat conversion and fragmentation is estimated to have reduced elephant range to 7% of its extent in 1900 (Roth and Douglas-Hamilton, 1991). Several populations have disappeared since the 1980s, including those in Mauritania and all but one in Mali (Gourma)

Olifant libycoberber

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http://www.institutum-canarium.org/lbi-project/inscr_data.php?site=OUKA1&inscr=1⁠

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_African_elephant⁠

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1⁠

Far distant from this country towards the parts to the west are Ethiopians known as Elephant-fighters, hunters also. For dwelling as they do in regions close together, they carefully observe the places where the elephants enter and their favourite resorts, watching them from the tallest trees; and when they are in herds they do not set upon them, since they would have no hope of success, but they lay hands on them as they go about singly, attacking them in an astonishingly daring manner.

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For as the beast in its wandering comes near the tree in which the watcher happens to be hidden, the moment it is passing the spot he seizes its tail with his hands and plants his feet against its left flank; he has hanging from his shoulders an axe, light enough to that a blow may be struck with one hand and yet exceedingly sharp, and seizing this in his right hand he hamstrings the elephant's right leg, raining blows upon it and maintaining the position of his own body with his left hand. And they bring an astonishing swiftness to bear upon the task, since there is a contest between the two of them for their very lives; for all that is left to the hunter is either to get the better of the animal or to die himself, the situation not admitting another conclusion.

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As for the beast which has been hamstrung, sometimes being unable to turn about because it is hard for it to move and sinking down on the place where it has been hurt, it falls to the ground and causes the death of the Ethiopian

p157 ⁠

along with its own, and sometimes squeezing the man against a rock or tree it crushes him with its weight until it has killed him.

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In some cases, however, the elephant in the extremity of its suffering is far from thinking of turning on its attacker, but flees across the plain until the man who has set his feet upon it, striking on the same place with his axe, has severed the tendons and paralysed the beast. And as soon as the beast has fallen they run together in companies, and cutting the flesh off the hind-quarters of the elephant while it is still alive they hold a feast.

https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Diodorus_Siculus/3B*.html⁠

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Elephant molars at the desert museum near the Richat structure:

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