Wild Life Dilemnas

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The image of a Man riding a Male Elephant in the midst of intimate intercourse is a perfect symbol of modern wildlife. It appears that animals can no longer live without our approval or assistance. If human beings disappeared entirely, then no problem, the wild elephants would do just fine. But with the increased encroachment of human life, wildlife is in big trouble. And often the most endangered animals get angry. Recently in Nepal, a wild elephant went on a rampage and killed 12 people. Interestingly enough, Nepal has taken a bold position of protecting all elephants. The killer was not sentenced to death.
After finally capturing the elephant, the punishment was to cut off half the tusks and then release the animal. It will be interesting to see how the elephant reacts. Unfortunately the root cause of the elephant's anger will remain. There is not enough wild space and many of the migration routes are now blocked off by villages and roads. Wild Elephants and all other animals are facing tough times. Fortunately, there are places like the Royal Chitwan National Park. They have a successful breeding program where they are able to assign three human caretakers to each elephant. When I visited, there were at least ten baby elephants. The mothers were all chained at the time and it was a bit sad. It is a strange relationship. The trade-off for a man-made breeding center which raises elephants, is that they are not wild. They never will be again. The park is also home to wild elephants who are surviving the best they can. Often they will storm the breeding center and will kill any tamed males. Due to this danger the breeding center has erected an electric fence to protect their trained elephants. There seems to be both an element of revenge and jealousy that is similar to what we experience in the human world.

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