Acquired Tusklessness In African Elephants

Both male and female elephants usually have tusks, however, cows in Addo are generally tuskless. It was initially unclear whether this condition was inherited or acquired. Acquired tusklessness is a result of a fracture of a tusk below the skin fold surrounding the tusk (Steenkamp, Ferreira, Bester, 2007, 75). While acquired tusklessness could impact the number of elephants regarded as tuskless, researchers needed to establish the number of fractures in the wild. Elephants held in captivity were excluded because dental issues are far more common in captivity. The study concluded that the incidence rate of fractures in the wild was very low, only 5 percent of African elephants (Steenkamp et al., 2007, 75). Furthermore, the increase of fractured