Elephants are very large animals. They eat only plants. Baby elephants drink milk from their mother up to three years. Elephants like to live in groups. Some stay with their family even when they grow up. A family group has two to eight animals. Elephants are very big and heavy, but they are very good swimmers. They are very strong, too. They can do many things with their long trunks (象鼻), and they are helpful.
In the past, there were many elephants, but now there are fewer and fewer (越来越少). People hunt them for their tusks. They use them to make ivory products (象牙制品). In Thailand, people use elephants to carry heavy things, and they also train (训练) them for a show. Many elephants hurt badly or die because of the training. In 2003, there were only about 30, 000 Asian elephants in the world. To protect elephants, we shouldn't buy ivory products. We shouldn't watch elephant shows.
