Humans vs Asian Elephants: Squatters In Their Own Land

Yesterday i spoke a lot about the plight of the African elephant. The Asian elephant is no different. However, they have had it way rough in terms of space. The tropical side of Asia where these elephants live has been severely encroached by the human population that is ever increasing. In fact, according to WWF, about 20% of the world's population lives near or in range of the Asian elephant.

Worse still, the national parks habouring these animals are too small to accommodate the elephant populations. This has led to serious conflicts that have led to the unfortunate death of about 300 people each year in this region. Incidents of elephants raiding farms have been on the increase causing loss to lives and property. But can we really blame them? Isn't there a way out of this mess? Some countries have developed systems where people are compensated for their loss. This however doesn't solve the problem, it just postpones it. The real issue is looking us in the eye, we just have to face it.

Poaching and illegal trade is rampant in this area mostly because elephant meat is delicacy in parts of India. Male elephants are the victims in this story. They are the bearers of the precious ivory. This has drastically affected the male population and could with time affect the entire population when there will no longer be any males to breed with the females. Sadly, both the farmer and poacher are responsible for their deaths in equal measure. Farmers in a fit of retaliation have been said to often help poachers to kill these animals. However, there is little that can be done about this since the control of this trade does not lie within Asian states. And unless the problem is addressed from the source, these animals will continue to die.

Another problem facing Asian elephants and not experienced by the African elephant is illegal
captivity. This has been attributed to the timber and tourist industry in areas such as Myanmar. These elephants are forcefully captured resulting in death and injury. This number amounts to 30% of the population.This is a big blow to this population that in time may be rendered extinct. Many organisations including WWF are in the forefront of ensuring these animals are protected and conserved. However, they cannot do it alone.

We are the elephants voice but until we stop acting like the victim and acknowledge that we are in fact the villain, we can't stop this! They are running out of not only space but time! We owe it to them to try. Are we game?