Elephant-Back Safaris
GET OFF ELEPHANT'S BACK'S AND ON THEIR SIDE
There is a rapidly growing ‘elephant’ industry in South Africa, with increasing numbers
of elephants being captured, tamed and trained. These elephant are then supplied to local
and international zoos; circuses and elephant back safari operators.
There are welfare, economic and environmental concerns associated with the capture, taming,
training and utilization of trained elephant. Before this becomes a well-established industry,
we should be taking a step back and learning some critical lessons from other countries that are
faced with the problems of tamed and trained elephant.
The recent death of an elephant keeper in Knysna - not an isolated or freak incident,
but one in a series of injuries, accidents; is a warning that we should be looking behind
the scenes and under the covers of this industry.
South African is still coping with the problems brought about by the removal of elephant
calves from past Kruger Park culls. These traumatised calves, pulled from the herds and
raised without the elephant family system, have become dangerous and socially maladjusted
problematic animals.
Whilst culling was still taking place in Kruger National Park, older calves,
young newly or partially weaned elephant, were pulled from the herds and sold off.
These groups of young elephant were relocated to various reserves and game farms,
where the have continued to be highly disruptive and problematic animals. The lack
of social structure, teaching and discipline produced elephant with severe behavioural
problems. Pilanesburg experienced a number of problems with young calves rescued from
the culls and eventually had to bring in old circus elephants and bulls to control the
delinquent youngsters. The behavioural problems displayed by these ‘cull calves’ include
guarding water holes, collecting stones, abnormal aggression and destructive behaviour.
Even today, some of these animals are still causing problems and are still being destroyed.
The ‘elephant industry’ has used the opportunity presented by the issue of culling to
jump on the bandwagon and promote the growing elephant industry as an alternative to
culling. These issues should not be confused: taming and training elephant and
sending them to zoos, circuses and utilizing them in elephant back safaris
is not an alternative to culling.
Contrary to the argument put forward by many in support of the trained elephant industry,
the numbers of elephant that could, and are being taken up by the industry will have
no impact on the elephant population size. The question of being ‘saved’ from a cull
so that an elephant can spend its life chained in a zoo in some foreign country is
ethically questionable.
There have been moves to suggest that ‘problem’ elephant be taken up into the industry.
These animals are more resistant to training and thus require more intensive domination
and a vicious cycle develops with the cruelty escalating and the animal becoming increasingly
more aggressive. There has been a public outcry about canned hunting of lion, but have
questions been asked about the untrainable elephants and their fate? There are at
least two confirmed incidents of difficult to train elephant being hunted.
Elephant in the wild and living under natural conditions exhibit an amazingly low
incidence of serious health problems and diseases. In captivity, especially under
the intense of training and handling, elephants suffer from a wide range of serious
and debilitating diseases and illnesses; worsened by the proximity to domestic stock.
Salmonellosis and TB are common in captive elephant. Mycoplasma related arthritic
conditions are extremely common and cause permanent disability. The incidence of parasitic
and infectious diseases is high. Even with treatment and good diet, these diseases continue
to thrive; elated to the depressant effects of chronic stress on the immune system of these
elephant. Dental and tusk problems are common and gastro intestinal diseases contribute to
a high mortality rate.
The working elephant have chronic scarring and abscesses of various stages on their
foreheads, behind the ears and on the legs from constantly being prodded and poked with
sharpened ankuses and ear hooks.
Before the elephant industry is allowed to grow even further in South Africa –
we should take a step back and look at the lessons to learn from India on the problems
and pitfalls associated with tamed and trained elephant.
Elephant is the largest land mammal with the largest brain of any land mammal;
are very long lived have a complex social structure and are highly intelligent
with good memories with 50 -60 known vocalisations and an remarkable ability for
planning and abstract thought.
By nature of its size, strength and intelligence, constant control of an elephant
can only be maintained by domination and fear. The capture, taming, training and
working of an elephant is by nature, cruel and inhumane. Also of concern is that in
South Africa, we are taking relatively untrained and unskilled labour, with history
or background in elephant handling and putting them in control of a highly dangerous
animal.
A trained and tamed wild animal is unpredictable - and even more so in elephant,
especially those that have been cruelly treated. The techniques used to dominate and
keep an elephant under control are harsh and cruel and may include starvation, food,
and water deprivation, isolation and beating to force compliance. Elephant are long
lived and have excellent memories, and are traumatized by the training and taming -
these tamed and trained elephant are time bombs waiting to go off – even after the
taming and training has stopped. What happens when the safari industry peaks or poor
management practices result in failed businesses? Where will those unpredictable and
possibly traumatized elephant go?
The taming process is horrific and involves immobilizing the elephant by
tethering him to a tree or another elephant and hobbling all four legs;
and then beating him into submission. People who claim that this doesn’t
happen in South Africa are naïve. Animal protection groups have been
called out to complaints about a large male elephant being hobbled diagonally
and falling repeatedly. The Tuli elephant tapes were real TV at it’s worst.
That is the reality of elephant training and taming.
People who believe that elephant back safaris are any better or different to zoos or
circuses are also naïve, or do not want to see the reality. The training and taming
is no different.
The problems currently being experienced in the tamed and trained elephant in India
are problems that will occur here in South Africa. The training methods and the domination of
large dangerous animals produce the same problems and involve the same abuses.
Wild free ranging elephant in India, have started to attack captive and tethered
elephant; causing near fatal injuries and extensive damage to property adjacent
to captive elephant. The risk exists that this could happen in South Africa too,
where elephant back safaris are operating within reserves and parks.
There are no policies and established protocols for the taming and training of elephant
in South Africa; there is little regulation and little understanding of the potential
problems, profit is seen as the guiding factor.
South Africa is currently faced with the challenges of trying to reign in the canned
and trophy hunting industries - is the Minister going to wait until the
elephant industry does the same before questioning the validity,
ethics and sustainability of the tamed and trained elephant industry?
WHY ELEPHANT-BACK SAFARIS NEED TO BE STOPPED.
- Riding on an elephant's back does not represent the nature and mysteries of a majestic elephant spirit as marketers would have you believe, rather it is the result of human intervention, the young elephants are removed by force from their families, and subjected rigorous training. Do not be fooled into the romanticised sales pitch that the elephants enjoy being put in this position.
- The elephants (ab)used for the safari back industry are usually young elephants kidnapped from their parents and family units with the use of weapons, helicopters and violence. During this process, helicopters herd the elephants, their mothers are tranquilized so that they cannot protect their young, and the babies and youngsters are then taken by force.
- At the training facilities, the methods of training involve the use of electric prods,
ankuses [1],
chaining and other submission protocols.
- The fate of the elephants in this industry is determined by the business cycle of the tour operator – the future of these elephants is left in the hands of profit margins, if these tour operators fail to succeed what happens to these elephants?
- It has been proven that as with human children, elephant children need adult role models, without this guidance these elephants are more likely to turn into delinquents.
- It has been shown that elephants treated in this way can resort to violence. After years of persecution and disrespect, these once calm animals become a threat to human life.
HOW YOU CAN HELP.
Oppose elephant back safaris. Every voice counts.
- Write a letter/fax/e-mail to the Minister of Environmental Affairs Martinus van Schalkwyk
demanding a ban be placed on elephant back safaris, listing all the reasons above and until such
time as that is in place, demand a moratorium on elephant back safaris.
Tel: +27 21 465 7250/1/2
Fax: +27 21 465 3216
E-mail: mwillemse@deat.gov.za
- Write letters to newspapers.
- Write to travel agents and tour operators asking them not to support this industry.
- Only support tour operators and destinations that do not support elephant back safaris.
This is the type of person that finds this amusing... do you think it's funny ?
Baby elephant chained around the left foot, look into it's eyes do you think it looks happy ?
Tiny cages and seperated from each other.
Barely enough room to moved inside.
Links:
NEW : Elephant Back Safari Brochure
Click HEREElephants in Captivity Update (May 2007)
Click HEREArchive
To visit the archive on Elephant-back safaris click here[1] The ankus (sometimes called bullhook, elephant hook, or elephant goad) is a tool used in the training of elephants. It consists of a sharp, pointed hook (usually bronze or steel) which is attached to a two- or three-foot handle. Bullhooks are commonly used by animal trainers in circuses and other establishments which use dominance animal training techniques. The bullhook is used as follows. The animal trainer or handler holds on to the bullhook by the handle. The sharp hook is used to apply pressure to the elephant's skin and sensitive body parts. This pressure may consist of gentle jabbing; repeated and forceful puncturing; slight or full insertion; and insertion combined with twisting. Once an elephant has been trained with a bullhook, the sight of it is sufficient to evoke the response desired by the trainer. It is a particularly effective tool given elephants' very sensitive skin.
