Oregon State University professor presents views on elephant polo

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Suparna Ganguly <suparnaganguly

Oct 19, 2006 1:01 AM

Re: note

 

 

*TO WHOMSOEVER THIS MAY CONCERN

 

*

 

Recently, my work on elephant trauma and stress was featured as a cover

article in the New York Times (8 October 2006: " Are we driving elephants

crazy? " ; www.nyt.com). The article highlights a half decade of my research

directed to study of the effects of capture, captivity, and other methods of

control such as culls on elephant culture and biology. The convergence of

new biomedical models of brain and behaviour and startling new ethological

data has demonstrated not only that elephants and other vertebrates share

with humans a common physiology that governs joy, love, humour, and empathy

but also fear, pain, grief, and many other emotions. Like humans, loss of

liberty, domination, and control severely impact the psychological and

physical wellbeing of elephants. These new scientific findings are congruent

with the knowledge of decades of observation and experience of numerous

elephant experts in Africa and Asia. The proposed display of elephants in a

Polo event is therefore a contradiction to foundational principles of

elephant welfare and conservation science. As the New York Time article

points out and is iterated in my numerous publications and forthcoming book

" *Elephant breakdown: The psychological study of animal cultures in crisis "

*, we as a global community are at a momentous point in history where animal

enslavement and subjugation is coming to be regarded with the same horror

and repugnance as we regard human bondage. Such an event undermines the

progress in India on elephant welfare issues that has been achieved. It will

also certainly cause significant negative publicity. I ask and recommend

that the authorities withdraw their participation.

 

G.A. Bradshaw, Director, Kerulos Centre for Animal Psychology and Trauma

Recovery

 

Professor, Pacifica Graduate Institute and Oregon State University

 

Gay Bradshaw " <Gay.Bradshaw