Elephant polo: Benjamin Zephaniah registers disapproval

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

 

sorry for my late reply but I have been traveling and

I have only just arrived in England.

 

I hope this quote is suitable for you.

 

All the best

 

 

 

Benjamin

 

Elephants love playing games, they love playing

elephant games. If for some reason you can't imagine

any elephants games, then just imagine how difficult

it is for them to comprehend the strange games that

humans play. The truth is you cannot be an animal

lover and use animals for sports, animals are not here

for our entertainment, or our games. Elephants are

graceful intelligent animals, who have not survived

thousands of years to run around a field chasing a

ball, and if people who run around fields chasing

balls had a fraction of the intelligence of an

elephant they would know that. Elephant polo is a

cruel sport, and it has to stop. If it's all about the

winning let them take away the elephants and use their

cars.

 

Dr Benjamin Zephaniah

[Guest guest]

Dear Sir,

 

You having mentioned the name of Mark Shand with a rather...well..... an

adjective, I decided to learn a lil more about this 'infamously' famous

person. This is what I came across....

http://www.kiplingcamp.com/markshand.html

Well I presume that you know this individual on a personal note as opposed

to me and with that I am once again surprised that you are using his

ideologies on elephants in polo (captivity in general) as a precedent to

justify his (and a few other's) support/ no-opposition to polo and down play

the on going protests against elephant polo? You are telling me here that

someone who rode 1000 of miles in hostile Indian city enviornment instead of

providing Tara a better living condition in some sanctury, is the voice of

captive elephants? I am sorry Sir... but I beg to differ.

 

Having studied, *tried* to understand and spent time quite evenly with Wild

and captive elephants, I would vouch on an exact opposite opinion that you,

Mark Shand and others hold. Or may be the paradox lies in your very email...

These people who back elephant polo have never learnt what life is for an

elephant in the wild.

 

My advice to you people would be to see, understand and live with the

elephants in the wild before talking crap about my unfortunate captive

friends and coming out with statements claiming that elephants are happy

playing polo and similarly rate captivity activities on a scale of elephant

happiness and comfort.

*

 

" Most also have never seen an elephant polo match--as indeed

very few people anywhere ever have, because so few matches are

played, in front of so few spectators, with little or no television

exposure.

 

I haven't seen an elephant polo match. Neither have the

overwhelming majority of elephant polo critics.

 

But I have seen the working elephants of Jaipur, on the job,

which most of the elephant polo critics have not, & I guarantee you

that if I was an elephant, given the choice of hauling tourists up

the mountain, or standing on hot cement waiting for tourists, or

milling around on grass with my pals playing elephant polo. I'd pick

playing elephant polo in a heartbeat. "

*

 

Funny that you speak like a novice in this field....For the less

informed...the bulk of the trauma is pre and post match which would be

unseen by spectators today (now that ankush is avoided). So it makes no

difference if you were out there on the day of the match or not.

 

Its hard to believe that you have rated captivity activities that an

elephant painfully endures and made a relative conclusion. you should be

glad that no elephants are registered on aapn. Else his/her reply would

definitly be less polite than this!

 

Pablo.

 

 

 

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Merritt Clifton <anmlpepl

10 Apr 2007 06:43:12 -0700

Re: Elephant polo: Benjamin Zephaniah registers disapproval

aapn

 

>opinions of elephant experts worldwide on 'Elephant Polo'.

 

Mark Shand may be a @#$%, but he certainly qualifies as an

elephant expert--and promotes elephant polo.

 

Christine Townend has credentials as an animal advocate

second to none, has worked to improve the lives of the working

elephants of Jaipur for many years, and also favors elephant polo,

especially played without the ankus.

 

In general, the elephant experts trotted out by the

opponents of elephant polo have been people who work with wild

elephants, and have relatively little background with working

elephants.

 

Most also have never seen an elephant polo match--as indeed

very few people anywhere ever have, because so few matches are

played, in front of so few spectators, with little or no television

exposure.

 

I haven't seen an elephant polo match. Neither have the

overwhelming majority of elephant polo critics.

 

But I have seen the working elephants of Jaipur, on the job,

which most of the elephant polo critics have not, & I guarantee you

that if I was an elephant, given the choice of hauling tourists up

the mountain, or standing on hot cement waiting for tourists, or

milling around on grass with my pals playing elephant polo. I'd pick

playing elephant polo in a heartbeat.

 

--

Merritt Clifton

Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE

P.O. Box 960

Clinton, WA 98236

 

Telephone: 360-579-2505

Fax: 360-579-2575

E-mail: anmlpepl <anmlpepl%40whidbey.com>

Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org

 

[ANIMAL PEOPLE is the leading independent newspaper providing

original investigative coverage of animal protection worldwide,

founded in 1992. Our readership of 30,000-plus includes the

decision-makers at more than 10,000 animal protection organizations.

We have no alignment or affiliation with any other entity. $24/year;

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