Asian elephants turn rogue for lack of space
Copyright 2000 Agence France Presse
December 12, 2000
GLAND, Switzerland Dec 11 - Asia's 35,000 to 50,000 surviving elephants are being squeezed into increasingly smaller woodland areas, turning them into a menace to people in their territory, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said on Monday.
"As clearance of forests for settlement and agriculture escalates, traditional elephant migration routes are disrupted, leading to violent clashes when hungry elephants raid crops," a report said.
"As a result, hundreds of people are killed by elephants in Asia every year, with up to 300 deaths in India alone," it added.
Elisabeth Kemf, spokeswoman for species preservation, said: "Of the 35,000 to 50,000 Asian elephants that cling to survival, most of these are being squeezed into increasingly smaller woodland areas.
"The elephant which is a loveable, if not revered animal for the world at large, has become a menace for many living in its territory."
The report says that animals are being poisoned by plantation workers, shot by angry farmers, and killed for their meat, hide and tusks.
The ivory is found only in male Asian elephants.
Poaching is a major thereat to the species, severely affecting the sex ratio in some areas, especially southern India, Cambodia and Vietnam. Two years ago, poachers in Cambodia slaughtered so many bull elephants for their tusks that the country was thinking of importing bulls from neighbouring Laos.
The WWF is calling on governments to take steps to ensure that national and transnational companies exploiting natural resources in elephant range comply with national legislation regarding biodiversity protection.
The report said it would "also like to see stronger enforcement of regulations of the convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)."
Strict anti-poaching measures should be established throughout the elephant's range, it urged.
"Ensuring the long-term survival of the Asian elephant will cost money," the organisation warned.