Pro-Life versus Pro-Choice, Elephant Style

While no solution for the human-elephant conflict is perfect, it’s disappointing to see that a proposed solution is to force birth control on elephants in India. There are only 40,000 Asian elephants; we shouldn’t  be trying to reduce their population.Here’s a proposed solution: put more HUMANS on birth control!  The overpopulation of humans is the real issue, anyway. I realize that the use of birth control is counter to many beliefs, but why can we put elephants on birth control and not ourselves?  I know that it’s easy for me to write this while at home in a safe environment, where I don’t have to fear that a rogue elephant will crush me, my family, my neighbors or my crops, but short-term and long-term solutions are needed in this human-elephant conflict, and one solution alone won’t solve anything. Let’s just hope that it won’t come to putting elephants on birth control.        

“Increased Elephant Menace in Kodagu (India)                      
Star of Mysore, August 30, 2011

Forest Department prepares draft of 18 proposals

Madikeri, Aug. 30 (KBM& KMC)- In view of the acute increase of wild elephant attacks on human habitats in Kodagu, the Forest Department has prepared an 18-point proposal as solutions to the man-animal conflict, which includes population control of the elephants using surgical birth control measures.

The draft for the proposals has been prepared on the basis of the discussions held at a meeting on man-elephant conflict, under the aegis of Kodagu ZP President Shantheyanda Ravi Kushalappa.

Since there is no fodder for elephants in the forests after the mass bamboo flowering, it is proposed to plant saplings of jackfruit, mango, certain species of palm, bamboo, sugarcane, wild plantains, corn and elephant grass in large quantities and protect the saplings till they fully grow up.

Prominent among the proposals include installation of solar fence along the forest border, digging elephant-proof trenches, growing Cacti or Agave plants to prevent the earth dug out of the trenches from sliding down, growing grass varieties along the streams and other water sources flowing through the forests, constructing check-dams across perennial streams to provide watering holes for the wild animals, desilting the tanks in the forests, widening them if need arises, etc.

Since the recent increase in the population of elephants disproportionate to the area of forests available has aggravated the man-elephant conflict, it is proposed to control their multiplication through birth control surgeries.

Other proposals are: giving actual compensation to the farmers for crop losses, increasing the compensation in case of death caused by elephant attack, paying Rs. 1,500 monthly pension in case of permanent disability caused by elephant attack, paying medical and other expenses to the victims or their next of kin on-the-spot, organising forest-side residents’ groups to keep vigil along the borders and paying them for the work, desilting the existing trenches, repairing the solar-powered fences, erecting electric fences and providing generators, erecting elephant-proof stone walls wherever necessary, etc.

It has also been proposed to capture and translocate the elephants that settle down in coffee estates and breed, capture at least 30 wild elephants every year and either shift them elsewhere or train them under Forest Department, phase out teak, acacia, eucalyptus and other exotic trees planted in forest and replace them with indigenous trees and encourage the growth of grass instead of allowing lantana and other bushes to grow.

The draft of 18 proposals will shortly be submitted to Speaker K.G. Bopaiah, to be forwarded to the government.              

Article at the following link:
http://www.starofmysore.com/main.asp?type=news&item=29509″

The Continued Woes of Palm Oil

I am relieved to see that the negative effects of palm oil plantations are getting more attention lately. Hopefully this means we’ll start to see some real change, and that this isn’t a marketing ploy by the palm oil company, GAR (much like Wal-Mart’s lean towards “green” energy).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12397427

(As a complete side note, I found it to be a bit ironic that the major palm oil company is called GAR, as those just happen to be my initials…)

Princess

There was word that a nearby village had an elephant. From the sounds of it, this elephant wasn’t in the best health.

Arrangements were made to meet this elephant face-to-face. When this elephant emerged over the hill, you would never expect that she had any problems whatsoever.

When she got closer, her limp became more obvious. When she turned, her deformities became blatant. To see this elephant move at such a brisk pace seemed unthinkable for a body as large and deformed as her’s.

How this happened to her is unknown but what is known is that she didn’t receive medical attention after the accident and she was continually forced to work day in and day out. She appeared severely malnourished and dehydrated, so extreme in fact that her exact age could not be determined.

When looking at this elephant I knew that, no matter what, this elephant deserved more respect than this. She deserved retirement and to live like a queen (OK, fine, a princess!). How can we help her escape her current life? How can her reality change? How can she be shown that life doesn’t have to be this hard? How can she be shown that an elephant’s life should consist of eating bananas and walking lazily around the forest all day long?

Compassionate hearts united to allow this elephant a better life at the Elephant Valley Project. After the customary ceremonies that consisted of rice wine at 9am, paper signing, slaughtered baby pigs, chanting, and the exchange of a lump sum of money, this elephant was now in the capable hands of Jack. Only one problem remained: getting her from the village to the EVP when the mahout was nowhere to be found. Jack had to work an elephant he did not know (a fact she used to her advantage). She was afraid of everything she saw, from bridges, to flashlights, to anything with a motor vehicle. Having received little food or water in the recent past, her gait was so slow that Jack soon realized he was about to spend his night atop an elephant walking along the Vietnamese/Cambodian border. While testing her  boundaries and proving to Jack that she was the one with control, she encountered a few adventures (or misadventures, depending on your perspective), and she slowly made her way to her new home.

Her new home had other elephants. Her new home had enough food and water with which she could nourish herself. She wasn’t too sure about those other elephants, but a banana she could never turn away. In fact, if you wanted Princess to tolerate you, you had to keep a full supply of bananas continually coming. Soon her body began to fill in. Her spirits lifted. It seemed she appreciated what life was giving her.

Then June 14th met Princess with the last day of her life. Exactly the cause is unclear. Perhaps she was really old. Perhaps all the years of neglect before she met Jack was too much to overcome. Whatever the cause or reason, Princess is now in a better place. I am thankful that she got to experience how good an elephant’s life can be. She’s an inspiration and will not be forgotten.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

* It is not my intention to blame her previous owners. Their lives and experiences were not and are not any better than her’s. This was Princess’ story through my perspective, not theirs. I’m sure their story is much different than my own.*

Please Say ‘No’ to Palm Oil

I know how important it is to put healthy foods into your body. I personally try to stay away from hydrogenated oils and other unnatural products (much to the annoyance of several of my friends). However, eating this way can get expensive, and fast. When palm oil came onto the market, it seemed like a great alternative because it was cheap and healthy.

I had been warned that palm oil plantations were replacing much of SE Asia’s forests but I didn’t think the situation was that bad. But then I saw the palm oil plantations for myself in Malaysia. It seemed like the plantations went on for eternity. We all understand the implications and consequences of deforestation, yet human needs trump the rest of the earth’s needs and palm oil continues to get produced because we all want a healthy, cheap oil.

This picture is from treehugger.com.

It is possible to avoid palm oil. Palm oil is included in many products, especially in natural foods products. Before buying any product, from chips, to crackers, to soy milk/creamer, etc. please read the label. If there’s palm oil, return the item to the shelf and instead choose the product without palm oil. It’s really easy to think of your immediate needs and simply choose the cheapest product but consider how that product is affecting the rest of the world. Is saving a few cents really worth an elephant not having a home any more? Is it worth a farmer’s house and crops getting destroyed because elephants are hungry and homeless? I think not.

Oh What Beautiful Teeth You Have

I just don’t understand how the world has come to value an animal’s two front teeth to such a great extent. How do you stop cultures from finding value in ivory? China and Japan have deep seeded traditions where artisans intricately carve ivory and their skills are passed down from generation to generation. I don’t want to demean the work of these artisans as they are quite talented and their level of detail is extraordinary, but can’t they carve beech wood instead?  Owning ivory has always been a sign of wealth and as China’s middle class continues to grow, the demand for ivory also grows.

It’s not just Asia that’s at fault for their ivory consumption; the U.S. is the second largest consumer of ivory. Who in the US is buying ivory? More importantly, why are they buying ivory? There are so many material possessions one could use to flaunt their wealth. Go buy a bigger car, a bigger house, get plastic surgery, go whiten your teeth until they glow in the dark. Of all the ways to show your wealth, do you really need ivory? Sure it’s pretty when it’s carved with intricate designs but so is wood (not that I’m advocating for us to cut down all the trees so we can have knick-knacks further cluttering our shelves).

Tomorrow, March 13th, The Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) will debate Zambia and Tanzania’s request to sell their stockpiled ivory. CITES has already tried this in 1997 and it didn’t work. Stockpiled ivory was sold and people’s desire for ivory was only strengthened. While there are several countries that disagree with this sale, if CITES votes in favor of Zambia and Tanzania, we risk losing the entire African elephant species in just a matter of 10 years.

It’s difficult to not be frustrated with Zambia and Tanzania for wanting to sell their stockpiled ivory. I understand that it’s costly for them to store and protect this ivory and that it would aid their economy to sell this stockpiled ivory. Living with elephants isn’t easy. They can be rather destructive and they tend to eat farmer’s crops. I understand why elephants can be seen as pests but how can we allow a species to face extinction just because of our failing capitalist economy?

I admit that I am  from one of the richest nations in the world. I’ve always had everything I needed. I’m a middle class (albeit lower middle class) white woman who had opportunities. I understand that African nations need to boost their economies but it’s frustrating to me that they choose to do so at the expense of innocent animals. (This isn’t only the fault of Tanzania or Zambia either. All countries engage in illegal ivory trade).

According to Time magazine’s article “Ivory Wars Redux? African Nations Move to ‘Downlist’ the Elephant,” “Over the past 30 years African elephants have declined to about 35% of their original numbers, and the population today is less than 500,000. Allowing further sales in Zambia and Tanzania — already considered the center of the illegal elephant trade — would likely end up increasing poaching, especially in neighboring nations like Zimbabwe where enforcement is rapidly falling apart. If poaching and trade continue at the current rate, African elephants could disappear from the majority of their range by 2020.” What is there to debate?

Are there other economic means for Tanzania and Zambia to explore? If there aren’t, then what? Will we really just sit by and allow African elephants to go extinct?

Save the Elephants Needs Our Help

It seems like every time you encounter news, you learn about yet another natural disaster that has displaced and even killed thousands upon thousands of people. The recent multiple earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, and Turkey have been hugely catastrophic, warranting the tremendous amounts of news coverage. However, disasters smaller in scale tend to get unnoticed. The fierce arrival of the rainy season in Kenya has brought a great deal of flooding and has caused significant destruction. Not only have entire villages been swiped away, but thousands of people are displaced and several have even been killed.

While the locals are incredibly deserving of financial donations, Save the Elephants (STE) research facility has lost a great deal of their invaluable research equipment and data.  STE needs our donations to replace their equipment and rebuild their research facility.

Save the Elephants has been a leading figure in elephant conservation. Founded by  Iain and Oria Douglas-Hamilton, two leading figures in the elephant community, STE plays a vital part in educating the world about the plight of African elephants. STE has produced a great deal of data on elephant behavior. STE has also lessened the human-elephant conflict by using cutting edge mobile phone technology in the form of GSM collars that the elephants wear which send text messages alerting STE of their location. STE collects data on the forest elephants, whom we know little about. From this research, the rates of illegal poaching and logging is known. STE also takes considerable measures to fight the ivory trade.

It is estimated that it will take hundreds of thousands of dollars to replace the damaged equipment and rebuild the research facility.   With the debate of listing African elephants on Appendix II of CITES, which would allow some ivory trade, organizations like STE must have resources available to continue their research so that elephants are better understood by the world, which would then shed light on the impending situation that this endangered species faces.

While there are countless worthy organizations to which you could donate your money, please consider Save the Elephants. To donate to Save the Elephants go to:  http://www.justgiving.com/ste-research-camp-floods

Sources:

http://informer.truth.travel/2010/03/flash-flood-in-samburu.html

http://www.savetheelephants.org

The At-Risk Elephant Acquisition Project

The Elephants Umbrella Fund (EUF) is a 501 (c) 3, not-for-profit organization that is based in Santa Barbara, California. The EUF is committed to saving and improving Asian elephant lives.  Connie Speight founded the EUF in 2005 after witnessing a young female elephant begging with her mahout on the busy streets of Bangkok. With a population of 64 million people, where food and water is unclean and inadequate, where cars, trucks and motorbikes weave their way through the city and emit harmful pollution, Connie knew this was no place for an elephant. Currently the EUF’s mission is to keep these highly sensitive giants off city streets, out of illegal logging, and away from abusive situations and placed into facilities where they can live a life as close to nature as possible. The EUF has started the At-Risk Elephant Acquisition Project which is an ongoing endeavor that uses private donations to purchase at-risk elephants and place them in safe environments with proper care.

If you are interested in contributing to this project, please read on or email the EUF directly at: save@elephantsumrella.org.

Background

Elephants have captured the minds and imaginations of people for centuries.  Elephants are majestic, sensitive, and wise. They are the fourth most intelligent mammal. They are complex and have had an enormous effect on the environment and cultures with which they share common land. In 1986 the Asian elephant was listed as an Endangered Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List and remain on that list today. The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) numbers approximately 40,000 in a region of the world that houses 20 percent of the world’s total human population. If things are not immediately changed, elephant conservationists predict that within 45 years there will not be a viable Asian elephant population to continue breeding and their mortality rate will exceed their birth rate. Immediate effort must be made to save both wild and domesticated elephants.

A century ago there were 100,000 elephants in Thailand, but today only 3,500-5,000 remain. Thailand has about 2,500 domesticated elephants, which is down from 14,000 in the 1950s. All of Southeast Asia shares a common story with Thailand. Cambodia has 500-1,000 wild elephants and 300-600 domesticated elephants; Lao PDR has 1,500 elephants and 500 of these are domesticated. If economic and environmental degradation continues, the Asian elephant faces a bleak future.

Elephants are forced to work in dangerous conditions and face abuse, malnourishment, and other indignities while logging, in tourist sectors, and street begging. The poor living condition of many Asian elephants, in addition to their steep decline in population, blatantly indicates that elephants are facing a crisis.

Logging

The 1989 ban on logging in Thailand resulted in wood prices increasing significantly. Hundreds of mahouts lost their jobs and saw the profits of illegal logging. Elephants are needed because of the difficulty of hauling large timbers over rough terrain. Logging conditions are very dangerous as logs often slip and trap, injure, or even kill the elephants. Because logging in Thailand and Cambodia is illegal, many operations take place during the night to avoid authorities and this can increase the rate of accidents and when elephants are injured due to such accidents, the likelihood of receiving adequate medical attention is low.  Elephants are also likely to be maimed by landmines that are scattered all over the jungles of Southeast Asia. Numerous elephants are even given amphetamines and other drugs to force them to work harder and longer.

(This photo was taken from: http://www.eleaid.com/images/library/burma%20logging%20elephant.jpg)

Street Begging

Younger elephants receive more sympathy and attention from people so they are specifically sought out in both tourist sectors and street begging. Because of this, many calves are prematurely weaned from their mothers and this decreases their life expectancy. A calf nurses from its mother for approximately two years or longer, allowing them to receive the necessary colostrum that all newborn mammals require.  Without these months of nursing, the calf is not provided the proper antibodies or nutrition to ward off harmful infections which often leads to death.

Keeping an elephant fed is very expensive; they eat around 300 pounds of food a day and many mahouts cannot afford to properly provide for them. As a result, mahouts have turned to begging on city streets. As this practice spread because of its financial success, wealthy businessmen began capitalizing on the newly developed market. Desperate to earn a living and provide for their families, unemployed mahouts sell their elephants to these men who then rent the elephant for street begging. These elephants are commonly rented to non-mahouts, men who usually have no experience in handling elephants. These rented elephants are regarded only as only a means for making money and as Richard Lair has noted, they are treated no better than we treat rental cars.

Urban settings are no place for elephants because of the dangerous conditions. At any given time in Thailand there are dozens of begging elephants in cities. These animals perform simple tricks and sell food that can be fed to the elephant. They are forced to walk on asphalt, which is particularly bad for their feet. Not only are the elephants given improper food or insufficient water but they are also frightened by the bustling cars. Traffic accidents are the number one cause of street elephant deaths, and according to the Boon Lott Elephant Sanctuary at least 15 elephants per month are injured by traffic. Elephants directly breathe the fumes from cars because their trunks are level with exhaust pipes. In the city the elephants do not have access to shade or mud that they throw on themselves for sun protection, resulting in skin damage and heat stroke. Animals often turn dangerous under these conditions, and there is considerable risk that the elephant could harm a spectator or the handler (which has happened upon occasion).

It is technically illegal for elephants to beg and wander city streets, but it is difficult to enforce. Even if enforcement was effective and elephants were not allowed in cities, the problem of unemployment still exists.

This elephant is forced to beg on city streets. (This pictures came from http://cache2.asset-cache.net/xc/83051424.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF8789215ABF3343C02EA548226E1C9D2520E9CC139CF01E1123EC8AA78228EE34ABBA4BE30A760B0D811297)

Tourist Sectors

Most tourists that visit Southeast Asia can boast that they have ridden an elephant. The opportunities to do so are everywhere.  However, an elephant can only carry half its own weight, and with a howdah, mahout, and two or more tourists on its back, that weight surpasses the elephant’s maximum load. These elephants are forced to walk long distances on compact dirt or cement, which is extremely hard on their feet. Some are not given enough food, water, and are rarely given veterinary treatment.

Most tourist camps throughout Southeast Asia use elephants as their main attraction. Many elephants are forced to perform unnatural behaviors such as standing on their heads and several other circus-type acts and more often than not the effects of such performance tricks are exceedingly injurious.

Here is an example of an elephant carrying too much weight. (This photo was taken from: http://thesheepfold.net/wp-content/uploads/2006/08/Elephant%20ride.jpg)

Capability Statement

The At-Risk Elephant Acquisition Project needs access to funds on-demand so that when an at-risk elephant is available for sale on the market, the EUF can respond quickly.  To prevent the elephant from falling into another bad situation, the EUF utilizes the resources of trusted local conservationists to conduct the transaction, first to ensure a quick response, and secondly, to make certain the price is not inflated. To date, the EUF has successfully purchased 10 elephants and donated them to sanctuaries in Lao PDR, Cambodia and Thailand.  Each of these sanctuaries have good reputations and excellent care standards. Every elephant receives proper medical treatment and nourishment, spends several hours of the day in the forest and faces no abuse or neglect.

The EUF has donated two elephants to the well-reputed Thai Elephant Conservation Center (TECC), which is located in northern Thailand. The TECC is the only government-run elephant facility in the country and houses 49 elephants. It is well known for its ongoing scientific research and has an elephant hospital with well-trained veterinarians and good medical equipment. Any elephant may come to the TECC and receive free care. An unemployed mahout may also come to the TECC with its elephant, and they will employ the mahout, his elephant and his family, and allow them to live on the grounds of the Center. While the elephants at the Center are expected to do light work during the cool hours of the day, they spend around 15 hours of the day in the TECC’s 2,000 hectares of forest.

The EUF donated two elephants to the Boon Lott Elephant Sanctuary (BLES) which is located in central Thailand and is committed to rescuing and protecting elephants. Elephants at BLES live in their natural environment and are encouraged to breed. Like the TECC, BLES provides jobs and funding to mahouts and they actively educate the community about the plight of elephants. The EUF has also purchased many acres of land around BLES which increases the free roaming range of the elephants. The EUF has also provided funding to allow the planting of hundreds of trees on the sanctuary. To learn more about BLES, click on their link that I have provided on the right-hand column

The EUF purchased two elephants for ElefantAsia which is located in Lao PDR.  ElefantAsia is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2001 and is dedicated to the conservation and protection of the domesticated Asian elephant in Laos. ElefantAsia operates the only mobile vet unit in the country, hosts the annual elephant festival, and provides education all over the country about the plight of Lao elephants and the importance of protecting the environment. Because elephants are still very much a part of Lao culture, ElefantAsia works to produce a balance between using elephants as work animals as well as to conserve and breed this endangered species. They seek sustainable economic solutions that will give jobs for mahouts and ensure the survival of Lao elephants. To learn more about ElefantAsia, click on the link that is provided in the right-hand column.

Project Requirements

The EUF’s goal is to rescue three at-risk elephants per year at a total cost of approximately $45,000. Once the EUF purchases an elephant, arrangements are made for transport to a sanctuary.  The sanctuary is then responsible for the medical care, food and well-being of the elephant.

The EUF is involved with several elephant projects such as the Elephant Mobile Vet Care Unit in Lao PDR and the Orphan Elephant Radio Collar Project in Sri Lanka.  Funds donated to the At-Risk Elephant Project will be exclusively used for rescuing at-risk elephants.  Should you wish to designate your contributions to another project, please let the EUF know.

Outcomes

The objective of the At-Risk Elephant Acquisition Project is to save elephants from abuse, giving them a life where they are treated properly and shown respect. At the request of the donors, the EUF will produce reports on the status of the purchased elephants at regular intervals after placement in a sanctuary.

With every purchase that the EUF makes, an innocent elephant’s life is saved. These animals no longer will face malnourishment, dehydration, performing circus acts, or giving tourist rides on busy, polluted, city roads. All elephants deserve respect and respect starts when they are given ample time in the forest, proper veterinary care, enough food and water, and interaction with other elephants.

The need for this project is great and time is of the essence since saving the endangered Asian elephant has reached a critical point.  For additional information regarding the At-Risk Elephant Acquisition Project or to make a donation please contact Connie Speight at: save@elephantsumbrella.org. For more information about the EUF, follow the link provided in the right-hand column.