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Elephant Report Version 5-31 GIANTS ON OUR HANDS PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON THE DOMESTICATED ASIAN ELEPHANT 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. The photo credits given below are by page number in order of appearance. Copyright in all cases remains with the photographers, to whom FAO wishes to extend its thanks for their generous permission to reproduce their work. Masakazu Kashio: Cover page, iii, 14 (lower), 102, 156, 172 Makoto Komoda: ix, 14 (upper), 16 Sawai Wanghongsa: 34 Richard Lair: 66 Sam Fang: 78, 182 Jacob V. Cheeran: 222 Asian Elephant Foundation of Thailand: 230 Thai Animal Guardians Association: 238 Edited by: Iljas Baker and Masakazu Kashio ISBN: 974-90757-1-4 Ó FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, 2002 Printed by: Dharmasarn Co., Ltd. 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] ii Foreword The Asian elephant has played an important role in the cultural, economic and social life of Asia for millennia. However, it has been increasingly marginalized in the region and, apart from Myanmar, there is now little demand for the traditional work done by elephants. Transporting goods and people over difficult terrain, for example, is now done by motor vehicles and most of this takes place on paved roads. Elephants in logging have been replaced by heavy machines in most countries, or logging itself has been banned to conserve scarce forest resources. Combined with the dwindling habitat, these changes are threatening the continued existence of elephants. Recognizing such conditions, FAO and the Japan Wildlife Research Center (JWRC) jointly commissioned a series of studies on domesticated Asian elephants in all 11 domesticated elephant range countries in 2000. On the basis of these studies, FAO and JWRC organized an International Workshop on the Domesticated Asian Elephant, from 5 to 10 February 2001. The Workshop was attended by 101 participants from 21 countries, and produced a number of recommendations. This publication constitutes the proceedings of the Workshop. One of the recommendations is to improve the age-old existing registration systems or to establish new ones for the domesticated elephants in every range country, for example, by introducing modern methods such as a small memory chip containing the elephant’s life history, embedded under the skin of each elephant. Such a registration system would be directly linked to a sophisticated database for better care and management of domesticated elephants. Improving socio-economic conditions for mahouts and elephants is another recommendation. Unless they are provided with new sources of income, the long-standing traditional techniques and practical knowledge on elephant handling will be largely lost forever. We are pleased to see that, as a result of the Workshop, efforts to establish a data- base are beginning and a network of concerned persons is in the formative stages. Many issues regarding the domesticated Asian elephant are shared by their wild counterparts surviving in natural habitats that have been severely threatened by human activities. Except in India, their populations have been declining under the pressure of human-elephant conflicts, illegal poaching, etc. We can easily see that other wildlife living in the same habitat have been suffering from a similar plight. We strongly feel that modern human communities must find ways to co-exist with nature. Consideration must also be given to the other species that inhabit the planet. We sincerely hope that this publication will help increase awareness of the conservation and management of nature in general, and will serve as a useful source of information and be a good reference guide for elephant managers, specialists, NGO groups, and donors seeking opportunities to improve the management and utilization of Asian elephants, in particular. Taisitiroo Satoo He Changchui President FAO Regional Representative for Japan Wildlife Research Center Asia and the Pacific iv Acknowledgements FAO and the Japan Wildlife Research Center (JWRC) would like to note with appreciation the financial contribution of the Keidanren Nature Conservation Fund (KNCF) that amounted to 5 million Yen (about US$ 48 000), half of which was donated by Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd for the country studies and the organization of the Workshop. FAO and JWRC appreciate the kind contributions of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Regional Office in Bangkok and the Thai Airways International Public Company Limited, for providing travel funds and air tickets for some of the Workshop participants. The same gratitude is due to the Asian Elephant Art and Conservation Project in the United States of America, Melbourne Zoo in Australia, Los Angeles Zoo and Oregon Zoo in the United States of America, and Terra Natura in Spain for similar contributions, and to Fauna and Flora International, an NGO based in the United Kingdom, for sponsoring the participants from Indonesia and Viet Nam. The Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Disney’s Animal Kingdom in the United States of America, the International Fund for Animal Welfare in Belgium, and Project Elephant in India, kindly provided experts to the Workshop and Mr. James Ottaway Jr., Executive Vice President of Dow Jones and an ardent conservationist, sponsored Dr Andy Teare, an expert on endangered species databases. FAO and JWRC would also like to acknowledge the valuable support of the Forest Industry Organization (FIO), a state enterprise of the Government of Thailand, for facilitating the field visit to FIO’s Thai Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang. FAO and JWRC would also like to thank the Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University, and Ms Anchalee Aree and the Maesa Elephant Camp for hosting the final session of the Workshop in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. The Faculty of Veterinary Science, Mahidol University, under the leadership of Dean Dr Parntep Patanakorn, kindly undertook the management of the editing and printing tasks of the proceedings. Mr Richard Lair, an expert on the domesticated Asian elephant, greatly contributed to establishing the basic framework of the Workshop and along with Mr Masakazu Kashio played a major role in its organization. The original idea for the Workshop was derived from Mr Lair’s publication (FAO, 1997) Gone astray: The care and management of the Asian elephant in domesticity . FAO and JWRC would like to express their gratitude to the government officials, university researchers, NGO staff, and individuals who conducted field surveys, prepared and presented reports, and actively contributed to the success of the Workshop. Special thanks go to Professor Iljas Baker, Mahidol University, and Mr Masakazu Kashio, FAO Forest Resources Officer, for editing the proceedings. Last, but not least, FAO and JWRC would like to express warm thanks to those participants from many countries who used their own funds to attend the Workshop. v Contents Foreword ........................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ v Opening address R.B. Singh .............................................................................................................. 1 Welcome addresses Toshihiro Arai ........................................................................................................ 3 Manoonsak Tuntiwiwut ........................................................................................... 4 Opening remarks Masakazu Kashio .................................................................................................... 5 Keynote address A regional overview of the need for registration of domesticated Asian elephants - Richard Lair ........................................................................................ 8 Part I: Record of discussions Summary of the International Workshop on the Domesticated Asian Elephant - Masakazu Kashio ................................................................................ 17 Group reports Group 1: Socio-economic issues ................................................................. 22 Group 2: Suggestions for a model law for domesticated elephants .................. 24 Group 3: Domesticated elephant registration ................................................ 26 Group 4: Framework for co-operation and networking .................................. 30 Part II: Country studies A study of street wandering elephants in Bangkok and the socio-economic life of their mahouts – Viroj Pimmanrojnagool and Sawai Wanghongsa ................................... 35 The care and management of domesticated Asian elephants in Sri Lanka - Jayantha Jayewardene ......................................................................... 43 The care and management of domesticated elephants in Sumatra, Indonesia - Baringin Hutadjulu and Ramon Janis ..................................................
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