[animalnepal] (NP) - Humane training methods for elephants introduced in Nepal

[Guest guest]

>WHY are we training

elephants in the first place to do tasks that should be done by humans and

not by wild animals? To be sent to Zoos, Polo Tournaments, Jungle Resorts,

Temples, and Circuses? What gives us the right to turn elephants into pets?

Looking at the fate of most pet breeds in the world today, the future is not

bright if we let humans domesticate what's left of the world's elephant

population.<

 

To add to that elephants are also used as bonded laborers in many places,

overworked and abused to the max. In India the Forest department of many

states has been using the services of captive trained elephants for services

such as Jungle safari, ferrying government officials to non motorable

jungles and terrains on special assignments etc.

 

But an outrageous incident that was being practiced in Assam was the use of

captive trained elephants to demolish man made houses and other structures

with corrugated iron sheet roofs and concrete walls when in the year 2002

the Supreme Court of India had asked the Forest Authorities of the state of

Assam to evict all the encroachers from the National

Parks,Sanctuaries,reserve Forests and other forest areas.

 

There was an outburst of anger from all corners and finally due to the

pressure, the eviction drive by elephants was blocked.

 

A photograph of the drive can be seen here (go to bottom of the web page):

http://www.freewebs.com/azamsiddiqui/picturegallery.htm

 

 

Azam Siddiqui

 

P.S: Below is what Dame Daphne Sheldrick had to say in a message to the

authorities concerned:

 

*Statement by Dr. Daphne Sheldrick M.B.E. M.B.S.*

 

*1992 UNEP Global 500 Laureate*

 

 

 

As a recognised world authority on Elephants, I would like to strongly

deplore the use of elephants in the demolishing of illegal squatter houses

in the State of Assam. The illegal occupation of forest land is man-made,

and as such must be resolved by the relevant authority without subjecting

elephants to cruel abuse. Forcing domesticated elephants to demolish

houses, and in the process suffer injury, and priming them with liquor in

order to do so is inhumane and outrageous and is an act definitely unworthy

of a State who ought to know elephants well, and show them more compassion,

having worked with them for hundreds of years. This abuse of Elephants

will definitely reflect very badly on the State of India, and we appeal to

the relevant authorities to step in and halt this cruel practice

immediately.

 

 

 

*Dr. Daphne Sheldrick M.B.E. M.B.S. & 1992 UNEP Global 500 Laureate*

 

Chairman, David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust,

 

Box 15555,

 

Kenya.

-------------------------

 

 

 

On Dec 4, 2007 1:08 PM, Herojig <herojig wrote:

 

> Well that's the question really, and I address this in next Friday's

> Nepali

> Times article (I will post a link here when published). WHY are we

> training

> elephants in the first place to do tasks that should be done by humans and

> not by wild animals? To be sent to Zoos, Polo Tournaments, Jungle Resorts,

> Temples, and Circuses? What gives us the right to turn elephants into

> pets?

> Looking at the fate of most pet breeds in the world today, the future is

> not

> bright if we let humans domesticate what's left of the world's elephant

> population. Why not reclaim wild lands so these animals can live in peace,

> just as they did long before mankind appeared on the scene. But this is a

> radical point of view I fear, as the majority of today's so-called

> conservationists focus on symptoms instead of root-causes for the disease

> we

> know as animal abuse. If animals were left alone in their wild habitat,

> and

> that was preserved as so many feel it should be, there would not be this

> ever-burdening population of elephants to treat, or to give jobs to, and

> to

> ultimately enslave and destroy. Perhaps we should attend these workshops

> and

> ask the experts just what is the right action that elephants should be

> taking when measures such as " light pressure " is applied. I would

> encourage

> every elephant to trample their trainer in cases such as this, just to let

> them know that there is nothing " right " about making an elephant do

> anything

> it does not really want to do. And perhaps an extra stomp on the head of

> " conservationists " is in order to help them realize that they should be

> out

> protecting wild habitats instead of helping others train elephants to do

> tricks for humans.

> Jigme Gaton

> AnimalNEPAL

>

> > Lucia <lucia <lucia%40wlink.com.np>>

> > <animalnepal <animalnepal%40>>

> > Mon, 03 Dec 2007 22:52:10 -0800

> > <animalnepal <animalnepal%40>>, <

> aapn <aapn%40>>

> > [animalnepal] NE - Humane training methods for elephants

> introduced

> > in Nepal

>

> >

> > A very good initiative but the question is, what do we do with the

> trained

> > elephants? What are 'humane' jobs for elephants?

> >

> > Experts plan to train tuskers

> > Himalayan News Service Kathmandu, December 2:

> >

> > A group of international conservationists are working to develop

> training

> > methods for safe handling of elephants.

> > " Nepali and foreign trainers will work together from December 11 to 17

> at

> > the Elephant Breeding Centre at Khorsor of Chitwan to develop new

> methods

> > to treat the elephants in humane and safe ways to develop a Nepali

> version

> > of a training method that optimises the elephant's learning rate and the

> > cooperative attitude towards people, " Anil Manandhar, the WWF country

> > representative for Nepal, told this daily today.

> > A workshop will also be organised to share experts' knowledge on issues

> > like improving elephant health, nutrition, equipment and handling, he

> > informed.

> > " The experts at the workshops will include veterinarian Dr Kamal Gairhe

> > from Nepal and Dr Andrew McLean from Australia, Tuikku Kaimio from

> Finland,

> > Marc Pierard from Belgium, " Manandhar said.

> > " Positive reinforcement is a method in which the elephant gets rewarded

> for

> > the right actions during the training. Pressure release, the other

> method

> > used, means that during training, the elephant is guided with as light

> > pressure as possible, and each time the elephant performs the desired

> > action, the pressure is immediately released, " he said, adding that the

> > best efficiency in training is achieved when using both methods in

> > combination.

> > The workshops are being organised within the framework of the Terai Arc

> > Landscape (TAL) programme.

> >

> >

> http://thehimalayantimes.com/fullstory.asp?filename=aCXatKsbuzqea6Qa7qa6HNamal

> > & folder=aCXatK & Name=City & sImageFileName= & dtSiteDate=2007120

> > 3

>

>

>

 

 

 

--

United against elephant polo

http://www.freewebs.com/elephantpolo