With their incredible intelligence and amazing family bonds, African Elephants rightfully stand as an icon of Africa!

Driven by greed for the elephants ivory, man is sadly decimating their populations across the continent and it is estimated that an elephant is killed every 15 minutes! Through media awareness, there is thankfully a growing outcry to stop this senseless killing and huge conservation efforts are underway to kill the market for ivory that is largely based in the east.

1 of 12: Black and white portrait of an African Elephant, Chobe River, Kasane, Botswana

2 of 12: Young African elephants play and swim in the Chobe River, Kasane, Botswana

3 of 12: An African elephant rests on the ground after taking a long mud bath and swimming across the Chobe River, Chobe River, Kasane, Botswana

4 of 12: African Elephant bulls greet one another affectionately, Addo Elephant National Park, Eastern Cape, South Africa

5 of 12: African Elephant bulls quench their thirst along the banks of the Chobe River, Kasane, Botswana

6 of 12: A small group of young African Elephants bunch together affectionately as they drink from a waterhole. Addo Elephant National Park, Eastern Cape, South Africa

7 of 12: African Elephant bulls displaying displacement behavior during fighting to determine dominance, Addo Elephant National Park, Eastern Cape, South Africa

8 of 12: African Elephant calf raises its ears in warning, Addo Elephant National Park, Eastern Cape, South Africa

9 of 12: An African Elephant bull pauses from feeding in vast open grasslands, Addo Elephant National Park, Eastern Cape, South Africa

10 of 12: A herd of African Elephants emerges on to an island after swimming across the Chobe River, Chobe River, Kasane, Botswana

11 of 12: African elephant bull crossing the Chobe River after sunset, Chobe River, Kasane, Botswana

 12 of 12: African elephant feeding on the banks of the Chobe River at dusk, Kasane, Botswana

Visit African Conservation Photography for a full gallery of African Elephant images.