Practical Elephant Management – a Handbook for Mahouts (India)
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ELEPHANT RIDING: the FACTS the Asian Elephant Is a Critically
ELEPHANT RIDING: THE FACTS (Prepared by Belynda Zolotto) The Asian Elephant is a critically endangered species, facing a very high risk of extinction. For the Thai Asian Elephant, the primary cause of this is habitat loss. The forests and grasslands needed to support a population of elephants have been disseminated by human activity and simply no longer exist. Domesticated elephants are the answer to creating a sustainable future for Thai elephants but providing a supportive environment for elephants in an elephant village or camp/centre requires money. For the Royal Elephant Kraal Village, like other such dedicated, protective centres, tourism is an important source of income. Providing an ethical and humane riding experience for visitors is critical if their programs are to be continued in the long term. Recently claims have been circulating on the internet and media, maintaining that this practice is damaging for the elephants, even cruel. The Royal Elephant Kraal Village (the Kraal) strongly disputes this assertion and this article sets out some of the facts, and the maths, to demonstrate that elephants are well able to easily carry the weight of humans on their backs. The Kraal has gone to great lengths to ensure that the elephants in its care are well-treated, that their participation in the riding program is beneficial and that the equipment used for rides is well designed and comfortable for the elephant. The emotive claims against the practice liken the experience of carrying people on the elephant’s back to a human carrying a 50 pound backpack for nine hours a day and purport that it will lead to permanent spinal injuries.1 Instead of making exaggerated comparisons between the human experience and that of animals in order to appeal to people’s emotions, always a risky exercise, let’s look at the facts. -
Elephant Care Manual for Mahouts and Camp Managers
Elephant care manual for mahouts and camp managers 1 The designations and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its frontiers or boundaries. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors alone and do not imply any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO. C FAO and FIO, 2005 ISBN: 974-7946-71-8 Edited by Richard C. Lair Drawings by Sirikorn Inkom Printed by XX For copies write to: Forest Resources Officer FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific Maliwan Mansion Phra Atit Road, Bangkok 10200 Thailand E-mail: [email protected] 2 Elephant care manual for mahouts and camp managers Preecha Phangkum Richard C. Lair Taweepoke Angkawanith FOREST INDUSTRY ORGANIZATION MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANISATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS REGIONAL OFFICE FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC Bangkok, 2005 3 Foreword The number of wild elephants in Thailand has declined steadily over the last three decades, mostly because of relentless habitat destruction, and experts estimate that at present only about 1,500 wild elephants remain. Today, better management by state agencies and increased public awareness are helping the wild elephant population to stabilize. In the middle of the nineteenth century, Thailand had as many as 100,000 domesticated elephants. The number of domesticated elephants started to decline about fifty years ago, as rapidly improving roads eroded the use of elephants in transportation — the most common work in the old days. -
Journal of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group GAJAH
NUMBER 46 2017 GAJAHJournal of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group GAJAH Journal of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group Number 46 (2017) The journal is intended as a medium of communication on issues that concern the management and conservation of Asian elephants both in the wild and in captivity. It is a means by which everyone concerned with the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), whether members of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group or not, can communicate their research results, experiences, ideas and perceptions freely, so that the conservation of Asian elephants can benefit. All articles published in Gajah reflect the individual views of the authors and not necessarily that of the editorial board or the Asian Elephant Specialist Group. Editor Dr. Jennifer Pastorini Centre for Conservation and Research 26/7 C2 Road, Kodigahawewa Julpallama, Tissamaharama Sri Lanka e-mail: [email protected] Editorial Board Dr. Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz Dr. Prithiviraj Fernando School of Geography Centre for Conservation and Research University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus 26/7 C2 Road, Kodigahawewa Jalan Broga, 43500 Semenyih, Kajang, Selangor Julpallama, Tissamaharama Malaysia Sri Lanka e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Dr. Varun R. Goswami Heidi Riddle Wildlife Conservation Society Riddles Elephant & Wildlife Sanctuary 551, 7th Main Road P.O. Box 715 Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, 2nd Phase, Kodigehall Greenbrier, Arkansas 72058 Bengaluru - 560 097 USA India e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Dr. T. N. C. Vidya -
Wild Life Sanctuaries in INDIA
A M K RESOURCE WORLD GENERAL KNOWLEDGE www.amkresourceinfo.com Wild Life Sanctuaries in INDIA Wildlife Sanctuaries in India are 441 in number. They are a home to hundreds and thousands of various flora and fauna. A wide variety of species thrive in such Wildlife Sanctuaries. With the ever growing cement – jungle, it is of utmost importance to protect and conserve wildlife and give them their own, natural space to survive Wildlife Sanctuaries are established by IUCN category II protected areas. A wildlife sanctuary is a place of refuge where abused, injured, endangered animals live in peace and dignity. Senchal Game Sanctuary. Established in 1915 is the oldest of such sanctuaries in India. Chal Batohi, in Gujarat is the largest Wildlife Sanctuary in India. The conservative measures taken by the Indian Government for the conservation of Tigers was awarded by a 30% rise in the number of tigers in 2015. According to the Red Data Book of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), there are 47 critically endangered species in India. DO YOU KNOW? Wildlife sanctuaries in India are established by IUCN category II protected areas. India has 537 wildlife sanctuaries referred to as wildlife sanctuaries category IV protected areas. Among these, the 50 tiger reserves are governed by Project Tiger, and are of special significance in the conservation of the tiger. Some wildlife sanctuaries in India are specifically named bird sanctuary, e.g., Keoladeo National Park before attaining National Park status. Many of them being referred as as a particular animal such as Jawai leopard sanctuary in Rajasthan. -
Elephant Ivory, Zoos, and Extinction in the Age of Imperialism
East and West This enduring fascination with elephants turned their bodies into colonial trophies, dead or alive. While captive elephants were the hallmarks of European zoological collections, ivory RESEARCH TOPICS became a luxurious commodity and an expression of wealth. At the turn of the twentieth century, patterns of ivory consumption were closely connected to the growing middle-class in Europe and the United States. As a status symbol ivory signaled elevation in social rank, N°63 especially for those whose belonging to European culture or even whiteness was in doubt. Thus, recording consumer desire for ivory in Eastern Europe, a region that, on the one hand, largely “missed out” on securing its own African or Asian colonies, but one that nevertheless nurtured colonial longings, reveals close links between social constructions of race, colonial commerce, and animal bodies. For the re- gion caught between the constructions of “progressive Elephant Ivory, Zoos, and West” and “backwards East,” the elephant body served as a material link between the mystical Orient and the Extinction in the Age of colonial Empire, and helped to measure the differenc- es of savagery and civilization. Imperialism (1870s–1940s) 04 A pair of porcelain perfume bottles placed As part of Department III’s research theme “The Body by Marianna Szczygielska on an ivory stand. First half of the 19th century. of Animals,” this project offers a unique insight into JULY 2019 Source: RDW MIC, Virtual Małopolska project. a physical presence of colonial imperialism in an area without overseas colonies. Tracing elephant lives, deaths, and afterlives, all entwined with stories of their keepers, trainers and veterinarians, uncovers a variety of scientific practices and technologies behind the exotic animal trade. -
The Royal Elephant of India
The Royal Elephant of India A Mixed Media Social Justice & Eco-Justice Art Education Project Artist Piya Sharma Inner City Angels Inspiration The Blind Men and the Elephant ~ A Picture of Relativism and Tolerance The Blind Men and the Elephant is a famous Indian fable of six blind sojourners that come across different parts of an elephant in their life journeys. In turn, each blind man creates his own version of reality from that limited experience and perspective. In philosophy departments throughout the world, the Blind Men and the Elephant has become the poster child for moral relativism and religious tolerance. Holi ~ The Indian Festival of Colours In Indian Mythology, devas (gods) and asuras (demons) stirred the ocean in the hopes that it would bring about their immortality. Lo and behold, this stirring caused nine jewels, also known as the navratnas, to surface from the ocean. One of these jewels was an elephant. Since then, the elephant has been regarded as a sacred and precious animal. The Elephant Festival is a unique event held annually in Jaipur, the capital of the north Indian state of Rajasthan. Groomed to perfection, glittering in gold, row upon row of elephants catwalk before an enthralled audience. The elephants move gracefully in procession, run races, play the regal game of polo, and finally participate in the spring festival of Holi. It is festival time for the elephants. The Ivory Trade and Elephant Endangerment Ivory comes from varied species of animals including elephants. The ivory trade is illegal on an international scale. It is illegal to poach the ivory from the elephant tusks (this results in the death of the elephant) and it is illegal to buy and sell the trinkets and jewellery made from the ivory. -
Caturanga Vielle
Le caturaṅga classique préservé au Kerala Christophe VIELLE F.R.S.-FNRS - UCL, Louvain-la-Neuve Le caturaṅga est un jeu de stratégie indien antique, dont la forme originale est à l’origine de notre jeu d’échec moderne. Le mot, du genre neutre en sanskrit (caturaṅgam), s’interprète comme un composé bahuvrīhi subsantivé signifiant « (celui) qui a quatre (catur-) corps (aṅga-) » (catvāri aṅgāni yasya), celui-ci pouvant désigner une armée au complet c’est-à-dire l’« [armée = balam] pourvue de [ses] quatre corps », ou alors le « [jeu = krīḍanam] aux/des quatre corps [d’armée] », en référence à la doctrine militaire indienne classique selon laquelle « l’armée (depuis le Mahâbhârata) se répartit en quatre grands corps, dont toute la littérature ultérieure reprend l’énumération : selon la hiérarchie usuelle, d’abord les éléphants, puis la cavalerie, les chars, enfin l’infanterie »1 — avec au centre le roi et son ministre ou conseiller (chef d’armée), cette hiérarchie (de statut et de disposition théoriques) étant en effet, comme on va le voir, celle reflétée symboliquement dans le jeu2. La plus ancienne allusion certaine à ce jeu dans la littérature sanskrite se trouve au début du 7e siècle de notre ère dans le Harṣacarita (Geste du roi Harṣa, ucchvāsa 2) de Bāṇa, qui parle d’un royaume en paix où les (seuls) quatre corps d’armée (que l’on rencontre) sont ceux des plateaux (de jeu) : asmiṃś ca rājani (…) aṣṭāpadānāṃ caturaṅgakalpanā, « et sous ce roi (…) la (seule) disposition en quatre corps (d’armée) (était celle) des échiquiers »3. Le nom (composé bahuvrīhi substantivé) du damier lui-même, aṣṭāpada (« celui qui a huit pieds/cases »), est attesté à une date plus ancienne. -
Mighty War Elephants the Toy Soldier Museum’S James H
FEATURE Mighty War Elephants The Toy Soldier Museum’s James H. Hillestad traces the history of ponderous and powerful pachyderms in warfare while providing a peek at some awe-inspiring AeroArt portrayals of the mammoth beasts in miniature Text: James H. Hillestad Photos: Tor Johnson and James H. Hillestad t is believed that the first military probably among the first confrontations savannah cousins, about the size of the application of elephants dates from Europeans ever had with war elephants. Asian elephant. The African savannah I around 1100 B.C. in India. As weapons of warfare, elephants elephant proved to be too difficult to From Asia, the use of war elephants were used mainly in charges. A charging tame for military purposes, so it was migrated to the Persian Empire, elephant was formidable in combat, never widely used. where they were used in a number reaching speeds of up to 20 mph and, War elephants were exclusively of campaigns. The Persians’ Battle of unlike horse cavalry, not easily stopped male. Faster and more aggressive than Gaugamela (331 B.C.), fought against by an infantry line equipped with spears. females, they were also taller, heavier Greece’s Alexander the Great, was The elephant’s power was based on and stronger -- and most importantly, pure brute force. It would crash into an the long tusks of the males were enemy line, trampling men with feet 19 decisive in battle. Further, it was found inches in diameter and swinging mighty that female elephants do not have the tusks up to 10 feet long. Cavalry was not temperament for fighting and so they safe either because horses, unaccustomed were rarely used in battle. -
Eco-Tourism in Kerala and Its Importance and Sustainability
Volume : 3 | Issue : 5 | May 2014 ISSN - 2250-1991 Research Paper Economics ECO-Tourism In Kerala and Its Importance and Sustainability Assistant professor, Post Graduate Department of Economics Dr. Haseena V.A M.E.S Asmabi College, P.Vemballur, Kodunagllur, Thrissur, Kerala Tourism is one of the few sectors where Kerala has clear competitive advantages given its diverse geography in a short space ranging from the Western Ghats covered with dense forests to the backwaters to the Arabian sea. Its ancient rich culture including traditional dance forms and the strong presence of alternative systems of medicine add to its allure. Unfortunately, Kerala is dominated by domestic tourism within the state although foreign tourists arrivals to the state has been growing at a faster rate than national average. The goal in the KPP 2030 is to develop Kerala as an up-market tourism destination with the state being the top destination in terms of number of tourists and revenue among all the Indian states. Sustainable tourism is the mission. This can be achieved by integrating tourism with other parts of the economy like medical and health hubs which will attract more stable tourists over a longer period of time and with higher spending capacity. There will be new elements added to leisure tourism and niche products in tourism will be developed. Infrastructure development is ABSTRACT crucial to achieve this goal. The success of Kerala tourism will be based on the synergy between private and public sectors. The government has taken steps to encourage private investment in tourism, while adhering to the principles and practices of sustainability. -
Review of Human-Elephant FINAL Reduced 01.Cdr
Prithiviraj Fernando, M. Ananda Kumar, A. Christy Williams, Eric Wikramanayake, Tariq Aziz, Sameer M. Singh WORLD BANK-WWF ALLIANCE FOR FOREST CONSERVATION & SUSTAINABLE USE Review of Human-Elephant Conflict Mitigation Measures Practiced in South Asia (AREAS Technical Support Document Submitted to World Bank) Prithiviraj Fernando, M. Ananda Kumar, A. Christy Williams, Eric Wikramanayake, Tariq Aziz, Sameer M. Singh Published in 2008 by WWF - World Wide Fund for Nature. Any reproduction in full or in part of this publication must mention the title and credit the above mentioned publisher as the copyright owner. © text and graphics: 2008 WWF. All rights reserved. Photographs by authors as credited. CONTENTS Preamble 1-2 LIST OF TECHNIQUES Problem Animal Removal 28-33 Traditional Crop Protection 3-7 Capture and domestication Capture and semi-wild management Crop guarding Elimination Noise and Throwing Things Fire Compensation & Insurance 34-35 Supplements to traditional crop protection Land-Use Planning 36-38 Alarms Providing benefits from conservation to Repellants Local communities Organized Crop Protection 8-11 Recommendations 39 Guard teams, 40-43 Vehicle patrols, References Cited Koonkies Literature Cited 44-45 Elephant Barriers 12-18 Physical FORMAT FOR Wire fences EACH TECHNIQUE Log and stone fences Technique Ditches Applicable scale Biological fences Objective Psychological Description of technique Electric fences Positive effects Cleared boundaries and simple demarcation of fields People Elephants Buffer Crops & Unpalatable Crops 19-20 Negative effects People Supplementary Feeding 21-22 Elephants Translocation 23-27 Future needs Chemical immobilization and transport In-country applications Elephant drives Sri Lanka PREAMBLE ew wild species evoke as much attention and varied emotions from humans as elephants. -
Southern India Project Elephant Evaluation Report
SOUTHERN INDIA PROJECT ELEPHANT EVALUATION REPORT Mr. Arin Ghosh and Dr. N. Baskaran Technical Inputs: Dr. R. Sukumar Asian Nature Conservation Foundation INNOVATION CENTRE, INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE, BANGALORE 560012, INDIA 27 AUGUST 2007 CONTENTS Page No. CHAPTER I - PROJECT ELEPHANT GENERAL - SOUTHERN INDIA -------------------------------------01 CHAPTER II - PROJECT ELEPHANT KARNATAKA -------------------------------------------------------06 CHAPTER III - PROJECT ELEPHANT KERALA -------------------------------------------------------15 CHAPTER IV - PROJECT ELEPHANT TAMIL NADU -------------------------------------------------------24 CHAPTER V - OVERALL CONCLUSIONS & OBSERVATIONS -------------------------------------------------------32 CHAPTER - I PROJECT ELEPHANT GENERAL - SOUTHERN INDIA A. Objectives of the scheme: Project Elephant was launched in February 1992 with the following major objectives: 1. To ensure long-term survival of the identified large elephant populations; the first phase target, to protect habitats and existing ranges. 2. Link up fragmented portions of the habitat by establishing corridors or protecting existing corridors under threat. 3. Improve habitat quality through ecosystem restoration and range protection and 4. Attend to socio-economic problems of the fringe populations including animal-human conflicts. Eleven viable elephant habitats (now designated Project Elephant Ranges) were identified across the country. The estimated wild population of elephants is 30,000+ in the country, of which a significant -
The International Elephant Foundation Strategy In
INTERNATIONAL ELEPHANT FOUNDATION STRATEGY IN SUPPORT OF ASIAN ELEPHANT CONSERVATION The International Elephant Foundation Strategy in Support of Asian Elephant Conservation is the result of the International Elephant Foundation (IEF) facilitated workshop of technical representatives from U.S. Asian elephant facilities with expertise conserving Asian elephants in human care, and other U.S. representatives with expertise and experience conserving Asian elephants in range countries. The goal of this Action Plan is to enhance and conserve Asian elephant populations in the wild. Mission Statement The International Elephant Foundation Strategy in Support of Asian Elephant Conservation provides a more coordinated Asian elephant conservation strategy for U.S. Asian elephant facilities focusing on the expertise and experience of the U.S. elephant management community. Vision Statement This strategy identifies and describes those specific components of in situ Asian elephant conservation where there is a direct link to ex situ Asian elephant expertise, and identifies suggested management actions. With a priority focused list of actions, the U.S. elephant management community can maximize limited resources, encourage coordination and collaboration, and further encourage increased participation resulting in a more coordinated approach to maximize conservation activities. 1. Background Asian elephants were historically found from West Asia along the Iranian coast into the Indian subcontinent, and eastward into Southeast Asia and parts of China. Formerly ranging over three and a half million square miles, the Asian elephant is now extinct in West Asia, Java, and most of China, and survives in isolated populations scattered across remaining grassland and tropical forest habitats in thirteen Asian countries. Less than 30% of the entire extant range is within protected areas, and many protected areas afford little protection for elephants or their habitat.