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Happy
Elephant at Elephant Nature Park
Photo
credit: Kaitlyn-Elizabeth Foley
The
question is: are we happy to suppose that
our grandchildren may never be able to see
an elephant except in a picture book?
~
Sir David Attenborough
Six years ago I was fortunate enough to see
elephants while doing some research in
Thailand. During my stay, I visited the
Elephant Park in Chiang Mai, a sanctuary and
rescue centre for elephants. Here I learned
about the plight of these magnificent
creatures. I hope you enjoy the photos and
brief blog about the Asian elephant, a truly
wonderful animal.
Elephants are the largest mammals roaming
the earth. The Asian elephant (Elephas
maximus) is subdivided into four
sub-species: Indian elephant (E. m. indicus), Sri Lankan elephant (E. m. maximus), Sumatran elephant (E. m.
sumatranus), and Borneo elephant (E. m.
borneensis) They are listed as Endangered on
the IUCN Red List and Appendix I of CITES.
Asian elephants are distributed primarily in
south and southeast Asia.
Asian elephants are characteristically
different from their African cousins in that
they are generally smaller, having rounded
heads and small ears. These magnificent herbivores require up to 300 kg (roughly
661 lbs) of vegetation and 60 gallons of
water daily using their semi-prehensile*
trunks!
They live in
matriarchal societies* with
herds of up to 40 females and young, while
males live either solitarily or in small
groups. The gestation of an elephant is
approximately 22 months. Females usually
have a calf every 5 years as their young is
heavily reliant on them for many
years. Elephants have highly intelligent
means of communication known as infrasonic
rumbling. This form of speech allows
elephants to distinguish family members and
their proximity to natural resources. These
beautiful animals have been observed to have
complex methods of greeting one another
through a ceremony of infrasonic rumbling.
Major threats to Asian elephants are due to
poaching for the illegal ivory trade,
habitat loss from human encroachment and
logging, and exploitation in human
entertainment industries. Elephants are
captured to supply industries including
zoos, circuses, tourist trekking, and
logging work. These animals are subject to
severe stress and inhumane treatment during
Phajaan, also known as the "breaking" phase
used to "tame" them and literally break
their spirits. Elephants are sentient beings
and feel pain and grief the same as we do.
Captive elephants often exhibit stereotypic
behaviors*, which are indicative of poor
welfare.
Asian elephants are a vital species and
extremely important, like all animals, in
biodiversity conservation. Elephants are
great seed dispersers; they eat large
amounts of vegetation and disperse seeds in
their fecal matter throughout the forest. In
addition, their footprints help other
species as these gather water that animals
can drink. Elephants are large, charismatic
mammals and considered a flagship* for
habitat protection which, in turn, helps
protect all of the other animals living in
the forest.
If I were to describe the Asian elephants in
one word it would be "Majestic". We have the
power to save them and insist on their
welfare!
Take action:
-
Be conscious of what you are supporting.
Opt for animal-free circuses.
-
When on vacation, be weary of elephant
trekking camps as, more often than not,
these animals were "broken".
-
Don't buy ivory. It is illegal!
*
What does that mean?
-
Semi-prehensile - is the ability
to grasp with an appendage or organ.
Some primates also have prehensile tails, for example, the Wooly monkey.
-
Herbivore - is an animal that
eats plants.
-
Matriarchal society - is a
society that is led by a female,
especially the mothers of the group.
-
Stereotypic behaviors - are
repetitive or ritualistic movements or
vocalizations that are observed in
mentally distressed animals. These
behaviors are performed as a coping
mechanism to deal with the environment.
-
Flagship species - Charismatic
species chosen to represent an
environmental cause.
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