NUMBER 40 2014 GAJAHJournal of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group GAJAH Journal of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group Number 40 (2014) The journal is intended as a medium of communication on issues that concern the management and conservation of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) both in the wild and in captivity. It is a means by which members of the AsESG and others can communicate their 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 AsESG. The copyright of each article remains with the author(s). Editor Jayantha Jayewardene Biodiversity and Elephant Conservation Trust 615/32 Rajagiriya Gardens Nawala Road, Rajagiriya Sri Lanka [email protected] Editorial Board Dr. Richard Barnes Dr. Prithiviraj Fernando Centre for Community Health Centre for Conservation and Research Division of Academic General Pediatrics 35 Gunasekara Gardens 9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0927 Nawala Road La Jolla, CA 92093-0927 Rajagiriya USA Sri Lanka e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Dr. Jennifer Pastorini Heidi Riddle Centre for Conservation and Research Riddles Elephant & Wildlife Sanctuary 35 Gunasekara Gardens P.O.Box 715 Nawala Road, Rajagiriya Greenbrier, Arkansas 72058 Sri Lanka USA e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Dr. Alex Rübel Dr. Arnold Sitompul Direktor Zoo Zürich Conservation Science Initiative Zürichbergstrasse 221 Jl. Setia Budi Pasar 2 CH - 8044 Zürich Komp. Insan Cita Griya Blok CC No 5 Switzerland Medan, 20131 e-mail: [email protected] Indonesia e-mail:[email protected] GAJAH Journal of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group Number 40 (2014) This publication of Gajah was financed by Asian Elephant Support Editorial Note Articles published in Gajah may be used, distributed and reproduced in any medium, provided the article is properly cited. Gajah will be published as both a hard copy and an on-line version accessible from the AsESG web site (www.asesg.org/gajah.htm). If you would like to be informed when a new issue comes out, please provide your e-mail address. If you would like to have a hardcopy, please send a request with your name and postal address by e-mail to <[email protected]> or to: Jayantha Jayewardene 615/32 Rajagiriya Gardens Nawala Road, Rajagiriya Sri Lanka Cover: Mating tusker in Minneriya National Park (Sri Lanka) Photo by Harsha Mannapperuma Layout and formatting by Dr. Jennifer Pastorini Printed at E & S Prints Solutions, Rathmalana Editorial Gajah 40 (2014) 1-2 Illegal Captures - A Serious Threat to Asian Elephants Jayantha Jayewardene (Editor) E-mail: [email protected] For thousands of years, the elephant has been part capture and taming process. In Sri Lanka and of Asian civilizations and played a prominent role most other Asian countries, captures have been in their cultural, economic and religious traditions. banned due to the negative impact it has on wild A case in point is Sri Lanka, where Asia’s most populations. In Sri Lanka, this was precipitated spectacular and probably oldest pageant, the by the public outcry against wild captures Esala Perehara of the Sri Dalada Maligawa in consequent to the disastrous results of the last Kandy is held annually with the participation such major capture operation – the Panamure of up to a hundred caparisoned elephants. The kraal in 1950. However, illegal captures have ancient kings of Sri Lanka captured and tamed persisted and recently there is a fear that the wild elephants, which used to abound in the captive population is rapidly growing. country then. Tamed elephants were used in war, for religious purposes, ceremonial occasions, as A major step towards prevention of illegal beasts of burden, in sports and recreation, as an captures and regulation of captive elephants item of trade and in agriculture. Then the human was taken in 1995, with the imposition of population was small and the elephants lived in mandatory registration of all captive elephants large numbers in wide spread habitats. by the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC). Subsequently, additional efforts were With time the role of captive elephants has made to strengthen the legislature and make it diminished and today it is largely limited to more effective. Currently, according to the Fauna cultural and religious pageants and tourism. and Flora Protection Ordinance, any person Wild elephants have disappeared across Asia at who owns, has in his custody or makes use of an alarming rate and populations have become an elephant which is not registered, and a license fragmented and isolated, making the Asian obtained in accordance with the provisions of this elephant a globally threatened species. However, section, shall be guilty of an offence and shall on in a number of Asian countries including Sri conviction be liable to a fine not less than one Lanka, the demand for captive elephants persists hundred thousand rupees and not more than two and has shown a worrying trend of increasing in hundred thousand rupees or to imprisonment for the recent past. a term not less than two years and not exceeding five years or to both such fine and imprisonment. Sri Lanka was thought to have a depleting number of captive elephants due to owners being It is mandatory for elephant owners to inform averse to breeding their elephants. This is due to the DWC when a she-elephant gets pregnant and fear that the female would become weak during the department has to be informed within seven her 22 month pregnancy and would not be able to days of a birth of an elephant calf. Virtually work gainfully and it would be at least ten years no such pregnancies of captive elephants have before the new born baby could be utilized for any been recorded in Sri Lanka. However, a large effective income generating work. In addition, number of calves, juveniles and young adults captures from the wild have been banned for have appeared in captivity in the last few years, decades. Capture of elephants from the wild and many with claimed registration by the DWC. their taming involves severe disruption of wild While the legislature preventing illegal capture herds, much cruelty and high death rates, with and regulating captive elephants is strong, it has a large numbers of captured babies dying in the fallen short of its goal due to non-implementation. 1 A new trend has surfaced in Sri Lanka in the calf (registration number 334) claiming that the last few years where gangs of poachers go into documents provided to obtain the registration elephant habitats and possibly kill the mothers of were fraudulent thus ordering the owner to hand selected baby elephants. In another method the over the animal to the DWC. However, this poachers make a lot of noise, use firecrackers and decision was reversed on January 21, 2013 by the bright lights to chase and disperse the herd. The current Director General. babies are separated from their mothers in this confusion and are caught. The babies are then Following this audit report on the investigation taken away to be tamed and used for the tourist of illegal elephant registrations by the DWC, trade, ceremonial occasions or kept as a symbol the focus is now to see what action the relevant of prestige that accrues from owning an elephant. authorities would take in this matter. However, after this remarkable audit query was sent to the This poaching is so well organized, wide spread Secretary of the Ministry of Wildlife Resources and lucrative that even highly placed officials on July 22, the Deputy Auditor General who are involved in the capture and ‘legalizing’ of conducted the investigation has been removed illegally captured baby elephants through fraud. from all investigations he was conducting and In one such instance, a magistrate was accused was transferred to another section with fewer of illegally possessing an elephant calf without a responsibilities. valid registration. Upon the filing of a complaint by a number of concerned environmental organi- Twenty international conservation organisations zations and concerned individuals, the Deputy from Britain, Germany, France and the United Auditor General conducted an investigation and States, committed to the conservation and according to the report dated July 22, 2014, all welfare of wildlife, wrote a letter to Sri Lanka’s documents that have been submitted to the DWC President, expressing deep concern about the to get this elephant registered are fraudulent and growing illegal baby elephant trade. It asked the the signatures of officials on the permit issued by president to take urgent action to stop the capture the DWC have been forged. of wild elephants and the public exhibition of elephants of questionable legal origin. The Giving evidence at the audit investigation a organisations have noted the global trend towards Management Assistant at the DWC has admitted ethical tourism and expressed confidence that Sri that she had to prepare the fraudulent documents Lanka, with its rich cultural and natural heritage, and number them on the instructions of her attracts visitors who value ethics and eco tourism superiors. She has further stated that the docu- alike. In addition, the people’s concern for the ments pertaining to the elephant registration conservation and welfare of animals, particularly number 334 were inserted to the elephant of elephants, is increasing. Therefore, ensuring registration book at the DWC removing some the protection of Sri Lankan elephants from other documents in the book. The audit report capture and abuse, while safeguarding their states, that “In the fraudulent application continued existence in the wild, would play submitted on November 12, 2008, the height of an important role not only in maintaining and the elephant calf was given as four feet and six strengthening the country’s tourism industry but inches and his age as three years.