Baraza

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Jan 26 2009 | By: baraza

Elephants have had a love hate relationship with humans for centuries -Hannibal used them to cross the alps in 218 BC. It must have struck quite an image for Europeans. Well, here are some recent elephant stories that caught my attention and have left me wondering if humans and elephants can co-exist.

Hungry military consume 6 elephants in Zimbabwe

The state Parks and Wildlife Management Authority started supplying elephant meat to army barracks across the country last week a senior officer in the army has said.

It’s not surprising that people are starving in Zimbabwe due to bad policies, the government sees supplying elephant meat to soldiers as a two for one. It reduces excess animals while also feeding a starving army. Just last week six elephant carcasses were delivered to the army barracks where it was welcomed with relief by hungry soldiers.

Starving elephants demolish homes in Malawi

In Malawi it seems that it’s not only people who are going hungry, elephants in search of food are apparently moving out of the Phirilongwe Forest Reserve and raiding peoples homes – and destroying them in the process. Thousands of villagers in the area of Mponda in Mangochi district are living in absolute panic after elephants destroyed 4 homes and crops in search of food.   The elephants are desperate, they have nothing to eat in their territory.  Thankfully, nobody has been injured or killed. The local villagers want the elephants tarnslocated…you can read the full story here http://www.nyasatimes.com/national/2509.html

Labourer trampled by 4 elephants

In the second incident, a 55-year-old tea garden labourer, Haren Tanti, was trampled to death by four elephants. The elephants had strayed out of the national park but villagers later managed to scare away the wild animals. All of us at WildlifeDirect send our condolences to the family and friends of Sumitra and Haren.

Problem elephants are caught and then trained in India

In Africa, cases of human elephant conflict are often dealt with by destroying the elephants or translocation to another place. However in India where elephants are sacred they are ‘rescued’ and taken into captivity. A wild elephant that had recently killed in Avaregunda, has been caught in the Maldare forest range. Trained elephants named  Abimanyu, Arjuna, Harsha and Shri Rama of the forest department participated in the `operation capture’ in which the wild elephant attacked the trained ones.

We congratulate the brave elephant Abhimanyu and Ms Chinnappa and Dr Nagaraj who led the successful mission. You can read the full story here

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mysore/6th_elephant_captured_in_Maldare_forest_range/articleshow/4030754.cms

Elephants in Russia may go on sale on the internet

Yury Durov, a renowned Russian circus trainer is desperately trying to keep two Indian elephants, Remi and Suzie, to whom he has devoted 30 years of his life in training and performing with at the Russian circus. If fails to come up with the asking price 100,000, Remi and Suzie will be auctioned off on the internet. You can read the story here

Russians celebrate Elephant heritage

Ironically, Russia claims a long history and culture of elephants and an exhibition of paintings, all featuring elephants, has just opened in Moscow. The title of the exhibition is ‘Russia is the Homeland of Elephants’

Tags: African elephants, circus elephants, elephants, human elephant conflict, Kaziranga