The life span of an elephant that dies from natural causes is about sixty-five years. Of course, an elephant can perish from a number of “unnatural causes”; e.g., it can be killed by hunters, most probably for the valuable ivory in its tusks; it can die from diseases that spread throughout an elephant herd; or it can die from drought or from the lack of food (34) almost certainly accompanies the inadequate supply of water.
If, (35) , an elephant survives these disasters, it falls grey to old age in its mid-sixties. Around this age, the (36) of death is attributed to the loss of the final set of molars. When this last set of teeth is gone, the elephant dies from malnutrition because it is unable to obtain adequate (37) . In old age, elephants tend to search out a final home where there is shade for comfort from the sun and soft vegetation for cushioning; the bones of (38) old elephants have been found in such places.

Big Bend National Park in the southwest of Texas is one of the most majestic desert areas in the United States. It is part of the Chihuahua, which is one of the largest deserts in North America and stretches over both America and Mexico.
Big Bend Park is home to mountains, rivers, basins, valleys, as well as many plants and animals. It is not as popular a national park as some others. This may be because it takes an extremely long time to get there. Big Bend National Park is hundreds of miles from the nearest legitimate town or airport. When people go there, they need to make sure that their cars have plenty of gas. There is a large risk of running out.
When visitors get to the park, they are usually happy that they drove all the way. The park is 1,252 square miles of desert beauty. There are beautiful cactus blooms as well as glorious sunsets. The hiking trails are magnificent. Visitors can stay in a lodge that is run by the park or camp with their own equipment. However, visitors should be careful. Even though the park is incredibly hot during the day, the lack of moisture in the air makes the heat dissipate at night. The nights at Big Bend are surprisingly cold so it’s important to bring a warm sleeping bag.

UN warns over impact of rapidly ageing populations. The world needs to do more to prepare for the impact of a rapidly ageing population, the UN has warned - particularly in developing countries. Within 10 years the number of people aged over 60 will pass one billion, a report by the UN Population Fund said. The demographic shift will present huge challenges to countries' welfare, pension and healthcare systems. The UN agency also said more had to be done to tackle “abuse, neglect and violence against older persons”.
The number of older people worldwide is growing faster than any other age group. The report, Ageing in the 21st Century: A Celebration and a Challenge, estimates that one in nine people around the world are older than 60. The elderly population is expected to swell by 200 million in the next decade to surpass one billion, and reach two billion by 2050. This rising proportion of older people is a consequence of success - improved nutrition, sanitation, healthcare, education and economic well-being are contributing factors, the report says.
But the UN and a charity that also contributed to the report, HelpAge International, say the ageing population is being widely mismanaged. "In many developing countries with large populations of young people, the challenge is that governments have not put policies and practices in place to support their current older populations or made enough preparations for 2050," the agencies said in a joint statement.
The report warns that the skills and experience of older people are being wasted, with many under-employed and vulnerable to discrimination. HelpAge said more countries needed to introduce pension schemes to ensure economic independence and reduce poverty in old age. It stressed that it was not enough to simply pass legislation - the new schemes needed to be funded properly.