The Silent Killer of Wildlife: How Economic Development Threatens African Elephants.
It’s been said that greed is so destructive, it destroys everything. The pressing question is how much will we allow it to slaughter?
Sitting on the banks of the Olifants River in Kruger National Park, we watch as over 60elephants gather in the river. They are cooling themselves, drinking water, and spraying themselves with moist river sand. The herd comprises all ages — an awesome assortment of sizes. The matriarch, an enormous female, starts walking downstream and all the elephants slowly follow. The terrain is steep, rocky, and variable, but the elephants navigate their way in single file. Along the bank is an area of sand that slopes down toward the river. When the matriarch approaches the top of the bank, she looks down, leans onto her back knees, and slides down.
Imagine a three-ton animal sand-sledding. It is incredible to watch; the scene makes it hard not to imagine hearing an anthropomorphic “Yee-haw” coming out of their mouths. We sit in awe watching as each elephant in turn follows the matriarch’s action and does the same.
When one of the baby elephants followed follows suit, rather than sledding easily down like the others, she was forced into somersaults by the river bank’s steepness and rolled down, spiraling like a tire going down a hill, and landed at the bottom on her back with her legs flailing up in the air. One of the other elephants trumpeted, and immediately six elephants ran to help her. They protectively surrounded the baby and nudged her over and up onto her feet, whereupon she wobbled off, flanked by her protectors, the collective herd giving an amazing glimpse into the complex familial systems of elephants.
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FlickrThe Loss of the African Elephant
The African elephant (Loxodonta Africana) is just one of Africa’s unique and iconic species threatened by a severe poaching crisis gripping the continent and driven by an insatiabledemand for ivory in Asia. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) estimates that more than 25,000 elephants were poached in 2011, a staggering number. Other evidence suggests the year-to-year figures are much higher. Enormous time, energy, and resources are necessarily being invested in Africa’s wildlife in an attempt to stop the poaching, trafficking, and demand. Even if we stop the current onslaught of poaching, however, viable populations of in situ wildlife in Africa will not survive given present rates of habitat loss. Habitat loss is African wildlife’s silent killer, and it needs urgent attention.
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Protecting Habitat to Save Species
The survival of Africa’s wildlife is dependent on large, wild protected lands and requires a deliberate choice by African governments to protect habitat for these species. The range of the African elephant, a conservation dependent species, for example, has declined significantly over the past two decades. Only 31 percent of the elephant range lies in protected areas, which cover approximately nine percent of the continent, putting the future of this magnificent species at risk.
A similar situation exists for Africa’s four great apes, which are concentrated in forest landscapes in West and Central Africa. The chimpanzee, the most populous of all great apes, has four subspecies: Central, Eastern, Western, and Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee, and all subspecies are in decline and listed as Endangered with only 22 percent of their suitable habitat secured in protected areas.
Drivers of Habitat Loss
What are the main factors leading to accelerated habitat loss across the continent?
The simple answer is growth. This includes economic, population, development, resource extraction, agricultural, and international growth — all of which is directly and indirectly resulting in habitat loss.
In the past decade, Africa’s growth rates have been approaching those of Asia. In 2011, seven African countries were among the world’s ten fastest-growing economies, with each having an annual growth rate of eight percent or more. The African Development Bank projects that by the year 2030 Africa’s population will grow to 1.6 billion — up from one billion today — representing 19 percent of the world’s population. With more people and an expanding economy come new and increasing demands on land and natural resources, resulting in habitat conversion and fragmentation if not managed properly…
Continue learning about the essential role protected areas play in conserving Africa’s biodiversity, and hear from other wildlife conservation leaders like Jane Goodall, Daniel Doak and George Monbiot, with your own copy of Protecting the Wild.
This post was originally published on the African Wildlife Foundation’s website, here.
Elephant Expose at Oregon Zoo
(Valid street address is required - P.O. Boxes cannot be used*)
A searing and seminal report on Oregon Zoo's mistreated elephants by KOIN 6 news in Portland and IDA in the news.
In an unprecedented, in-depth investigation, Carla Castano of KOIN 6 news in Portland Oregon has exposed the dark truth of the Oregon Zoo's (OZ) long-suffering captive elephants. This four-part series puts into question whether elephants are even suited for life in captivity. Just because we can keep them in zoos, should we?
With the help of medical records provided by IDA's elephant scientist, Dr. Toni Frohoff, the investigation exposed suffering from lesions, abscesses, recurring foot problems, and bullhook abuse. IDA recently shared the sad news that Rama, a 31-year old Asian elephant, had to be euthanized this year at the OZ due to pain and immobility caused by captivity-related conditions.
Each segment of this news investigation focuses on a specific issue; the first asking "How much room do elephants need?" With the proposed building of "Elephant Lands" said to open this fall, the seven elephants at the OZ would ideally have more room for walking and living space than they currently have on their 1.5 acres. However, the Zoo is planning for more elephants to arrive through acquisition and by an aggressive breeding program that would subject the elephants to invasive procedures and reduce the available space per elephant.
This expansion of space is, in part, an attempt to reduce the chronic foot problems that have been such a serious, if not lethal, issue for these elephants. The segment explores the question of whether 3 more acres are enough for these majestic animals who need to walk at least 5-20 miles a day in the 'wild world' where they belong. Most convincingly, Blair Csuti, who worked at the OZ as the Conservation Coordinator from 1997-2005, says that "lack of exercise and being chained up most of the day, 16 hours in a small stall in their own excretion is not conducive to foot health" or any degree of health!
Segment two exposes why and how the OZ has been recklessly breeding, and delves into its plans to expand its inhumane breeding program, including its in- and cross-breeding of elephants.
According to Phil Prewett, who worked at the OZ for 27 years (much of the time with elephants), elephants were not well treated. Documents reveal a history of abusive attempts to collect semen from male bull elephants for breeding, as well as patterns of inbreeding at the zoo between families, creating incestuous family trees. Perhaps mercifully, these offspring did not survive.
All under the guise of conservation but actually for the sake of profit, these elephants have been subjected to decades of psychological and physical trauma.
Segment three exposes, "The Bullhook: insurance, weapon, or both?" All too familiar in zoos and circuses, the brutal bull hook is used to control and terrorize elephants. A bullhook ban bill was introduced in the California Senate, and bullhook bans have already been passed in Los Angeles, Oakland and San Francisco, California as well as most recently in Richmond, Virginia. However, many areas still allow its use as the main control device of captive elephants.
The medical records provided by IDA revealed documentation on the repeated abuse of Rose-Tu, hit 176 times by Fred Marion, a zookeeper said to have had his skull fractured by an elephant. He became 'hook happy' once he was alone with the elephants again, showering abuse on Rose-Tu, and others, for months. He was eventually fired, but not prosecuted, as it could not be "proven"-shockingly- that Rose-Tu suffered.
Finally-bait and switch. The fourth segment uncovers how the $12 million bond passed for an elephant "reserve, preserve, or sanctuary" for the elephants' wellbeing will now be used for a "Remote Elephant Center" where some of the elephants will be forced to endure prolonged, invasive and dangerous medical procedures for dubious breeding purposes.
According to Free The Oregon Zoo Elephants, "The words 'elephant breeding' were never used by Metro or the OZ officials in bond measure documents, hearings, interviews or the media in their appeals for money. Instead, the words, 'reserve, preserve and sanctuary' were used repeatedly by Metro and the OZ officials, tricking voters into believing that support of the zoo bond would mean freedom for Packy and the seven other zoo elephants."
In 2013 these words were ...replaced by the 'Remote Elephant Center' or REC, where the zoo intends to increase the number of captive elephants ... to nineteen.” The zoo plans to collaborate with nefarious traveling elephant "brokers" and others in their quest to expand their horrific "haven" for elephants.
Please view the segments below, then send our letter of thanks below to KOIN 6:
To stay apprised of what you can do locally, from Oregon, or from anywhere, please stay tuned to Friends of the Oregon Zoo Elephants here and also stay tuned for our alerts.
Are We the End of the Elephant? Here’s How We Can all Help Save This Species
We just don’t get it.
Last year, every rhino was killed in Limpopo National Park in Mozambique. Poachers were the perpetrators. And so it continues: there are now only three northern white rhinos left in the world. And unfortunately they cannot breed. So the world sits back to watch as they enjoy their final days left on this earth under the safety of 24/7 ranger protection in Kenya.
It’s been said that greed is so destructive, it destroys everything. The pressing question is how much will we allow it to slaughter?
Every 15 minutes an elephant is killed by poachers who sell the elephant’s ivory to countries like China and United States. That’s nearly 100 elephants a day. And how many are still roaming across Africa? The Great Elephant Census is working to count exactly how manyelephants are left, but I am nervous as to the outcome. As optimistic as I would like to be, I can only imagine that the numbers will come in significantly lower than we hope. Especially considering that conservationists believe that there are now more elephants being killed than are being born.
Cynthia Moss, of the Amboseli Elephant Research Project in Kenya, where elephants are protected in a national park, notes:
It is very discouraging having to fight the battle to save elephants once again. The 1989 ban helped elephants to recover in most parts of Africa. Now even in Amboseli we’re losing elephants to ivory poachers for the first time in many years. The sale of any ivory – legal or not – is creating demand. No one needs ivory. It is a beautiful substance, but the only ones who need it are elephants.
But a recent study shows that ivory is reportedly bought at $100 per kilogramme ($45 per pound) from poachers, and sold for $2,100 in China. As long as ivory is viewed as a commodity to be traded in, we can guarantee the end of the elephant.
The only way forward with the time we have left is to change the mindset of the world – from one of consumerism to conservationism.
The only way forward with the time we have left is to change the mindset of the world – from one of consumerism to conservationism.
The consumer views ivory as a commodity.
The conservationist view ivory as a critical part of an elephant’s anatomy, needed for their very survival.
The consumer thinks only of the now and what they want (their art piece, their musical instrument…).
The conservationist thinks only of how in the global world we live in, destroying a keystone species has dire negative consequences on the environment and economic stability of Africa.
The consumer doesn’t care about life – of an elephant or of a ranger or of a poacher or of a person.
The conservationist does care about all life – elephant, ranger, poacher, person.
Changing the Future for Elephants with Education
Changing the Future for Elephants with Education
Nelson Mandela said that education is the most powerful weapon to change the world with. And so we begin. Please share this post with your family and friends. Please write letters to your local government calling for an ivory ban. Please use these educational resources to teach others about elephants and the ivory trade. Each of us can help create the change necessary to move consumers into conservationists.
Otherwise, this is extinction. This is the end of the elephant.
Now do you get it?
Lead image source: Steve Slater/Flickr
