The way in which the human species treats his fellow animals is often scandalous. The story that unfolds in these pages is one of the worst examples: over the past decade, elephant numbers in several African countries have been reduced by 90 percent or more. The immediate cause is undoubtedly reckless poaching on a grand scale; the underlying problem, which threatens the survival of the African elephant over the long term, is the relentless expansion of the human population.