Top 10 threats to elephants

[Guest guest]

>*<1. When was the survey for top 10 or top 100 etc etc threats to

>animal & well-being carried out? Is anyone aware of any such survey,

>or results?

 

 

Just on the subject of elephants, & just in Asia, the top

10 sources of human-associated mortality in recent years appear to

be--

 

 

1) Ivory poaching.

 

2) Electrocutions by fencing.

 

3) Collisions with trains.

 

4) Collisions with motor vehicles.

 

5) Shooting to halt rampages.

 

6) Drought caused in part by human diversion of water sources.

 

7) Foot & leg injuries caused by excessive standing or

walking on paved surfaces.

 

8) Being fed or otherwise consuming inappropriate objects

at temples & zoos.

 

9) Accidentally ingesting agricultural pesticides.

 

10) Injuries suffered on the job in connection with logging,

road-building, etc.

 

 

This does not include habitat destruction, which is a causal

factor in most of the above, or exposure to human diseases, such as

tuberculosis, which also pass elephant-to-elephant, or any of the

effects of warfare, many of which contribute to mortality.

 

Neither does the above include forest fires and floods, also

significant causes of elephant mortality and also largely the result

of human activity.

 

Depending on how one defines " human-associated, " the list

could probably be expanded to 15 or 20 total categories, many of

them involving hundreds of elephants.

 

Elephant polo would not be among the top 10, 15, or 20,

though, because elephant polo has not yet killed any elephants.

Perhaps some elephants may eventually die from some cause associated

with elephant polo, but after 30-odd years it is a bit surprising

that it has not happened yet, if elephant polo is to be considered a

serious threat to elephant well-being.

 

 

--

Merritt Clifton

Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE

P.O. Box 960

Clinton, WA 98236

 

Telephone: 360-579-2505

Fax: 360-579-2575

E-mail: anmlpepl

Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org

 

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