At a time when its close relative, the African elephant, is flourishing, the Asian elephant is imperilled as never before. The demands of industry and agriculture, exponentially growing human population, illegal logging and other environmental degradation: all are conspiring to rob this king of beasts of his birthright.

Asia’s wild elephant population now hovers at somewhere below 40,000 in the 13 countries of South and Southeast Asia, which make up their habitat (add to that perhaps another 16,000 domesticated beasts). In Thailand alone, the wild population has declined from 100,000 animals at the turn of the century – with as many again domesticated – to fewer than 1,500 now.