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sydneyst
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Posted: Sat Sep 4th, 2010 11:31 am |
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Experience the World of Elephants Through Their Eyes
http://www.savetheelephants.org/secret-life-of-elephants.html
On May 16, at 8 PM ET/EP, join Animal Planet in a two-hour journey through the lives of more than 900 elephants that roam Kenya’s National Samburu Reserve. From the producers of LIFE and PLANET EARTH, THE SECRET LIFE OF ELEPHANTS, shot in glorious high definition, provides an intimate window into what it’s really like to be an elephant by focusing on several dozen of these creatures.
We see elephants as mammoth beasts; they’re prehistoric looking with incredibly large features that distinguish them from any other animal we know. They are majestic in their demeanor; they seem to rule the African landscape, living and traveling within large herds. To the unknowing eye, this ancient beast will live forever on Earth. Many still do not know that the African elephant is highly threatened. Sure, their sheer size seems to intimidate all who share their land; however, this behemoth’s existence is being threatened at an alarming rate…by both man and nature.
Stripping away their incredible size and their unique appearance, elephants are surprisingly like humans. They exhibit distinct emotions, from sadness to anger and from jealousy to concern for their loved ones. They live in family groupings – herds – and make difficult decisions that affect all the members of the family. They seem to want nothing more than to survive and keep their loved ones close.
In THE SECRET LIFE OF ELEPHANTS, the unique research team from Save the Elephants gets closer than ever before to the true nature of elephants. Founded in 1993 and led by world-renowned elephant conservationist Iain Douglas-Hamilton, Save the Elephants combines the dedication and unmatched knowledge of Iain, his daughter, Saba Douglas-Hamilton and Dr. David Daballen, a leading elephant expert at the reserve. Together with a team of countless elephant enthusiasts, Save the Elephants believes the only way to save these African royals from impending threat is to get as close as possible to them – in essence, to see the world as they do and when necessary, intervene to protect the future of this dwindling species.
Meet the stars
Meet Harmattan, the matriarch of the 18-strong Winds family. Harmattan just gave birth to the19th member of the herd, baby Breeze. There's not a moment for pause; Harmattan must keep focused. The welfare of the entire family depends on her decisions, and she knows they must cross the river for the water and vegetation that lay on the other side. There's no time to coach baby Breeze through her first steps. It's sink or swim - quite literally - as the newborn hobbles her first steps. She's so small and pitiable that no one really notices when she wanders off while the others are drinking. This is just the kind of slip up that predators anticipate; luckily, Breeze's mother realizes this mistake before it's too late.
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sydneyst
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Posted: Thu Sep 2nd, 2010 09:56 am |
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Poachers Kill Amboseli Bull
from http://www.elephanttrust.org/blog/15
Cynthia Moss
Winston Sun, 2010-08-29 07:27 by cmoss One of Amboseli's up-and-coming prime bulls was killed by poachers the day before yesterday. Winston had just turned 30 in January of this year and was regularly coming into musth. It should have been just the beginning of a successful breeding life but he was cut down for his ivory tusks.
I felt particularly close to Winston because he was one of 14 calves I chose for a special study in 1980. I carried out research on mother-calf bonds and calf development on these calves and so I spent hours with them in the first year of their lives.
Last edited on Thu Sep 2nd, 2010 09:59 am by sydneyst
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Posted: Tue Jul 20th, 2010 05:29 pm |
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Thai Officials Make Third Major Ivory Seizure This Year, Seizing Over A Million Dollars Worth of Elephant Tusks
http://bushwarriors.wordpress.com/2010/07/19/thai-officials-make-third-major-ivory-seizure-this-year-seizing-over-a-million-dollars-worth-of-elephant-tusks/
Thai officials acting on a tip at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport have discovered yet another large shipment of ivory. Six crates labeled as furniture and notepads were found to be carrying 117 elephant tusks, nine additional pieces of ivory, and a single rhino horn. The aircraft carrying the illegal ivory worth nearly $1.2 million (US) was flown in from Kenya, arriving in Bangkok on Tuesday. Despite numerous busts in both Africa and Asia and officials’ increased efforts to stop the trade, international crime syndicates are clearly taking large risks to continue to meet the growing demand for ivory.
Organization of the Day: Milgis Trust
Last edited on Tue Jul 20th, 2010 05:32 pm by sydneyst
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sydneyst
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Posted: Wed Jun 9th, 2010 06:35 am |
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Zimbabwe About to Sell Baby Elephants to North Korea
Born Free Campaign to Stop Merchants of Animal Abuse
Of particular concern are the reports that two young elephants – each only 18 months old – are to be caught from the wild in Hwange. Baby elephants normally continue to suckle from their mothers for 4 years, so removal at this young age could have a severe physical impact in terms of nutrition, immunity and other developmental issues. It is also certain to have a huge impact on the emotional and social development of the young animals and cause severe distress to the mothers themselves and the herds in which they live.
However, it seems that elephants will not be the only animals to suffer. Allegedly, the agreement between the two countries states that two of every mammal species found in Hwange will be send to North Korea. This would include white rhinoceros, lions, leopard, cheetah, the endangered wild dog and the critically endangered black rhinoceros. We have minimal information about the conditions in which they would be kept, but our fear is that the facilities in North Korea would fall far short of even the most basic requirements for the physical and psychological well-being of the animals. For these animals to be taken from a life in the wild to one of inestimable captive suffering would be a tragic fate.
The Hwange National Park has for several years been the subject of a series of very disturbing reports concerning poaching. These reports have included references to subsistence hunting, commercial game hunting, collusion of senior wildlife officials in hunting, and even hunting by park staff as a substitute for salary payments. In the light of these major concerns, it would seem that the government should be taking steps to ensure the security of the animals in the park, not taking part in removing them senselessly for political reasons.
Born Free calls on the government of Zimbabwe to abandon these planned transfers, for the sake of the animals, the Park, and the country as a whole.
We are trying to find out more, and will add any further news on this issue as soon as we receive it – please check the site regularly for updates or sign our pledge.
“The Born Free Foundation started because of the capture, live export and premature death of an young elephant in a zoo. I am appalled that, yet again, live animals including baby elephants are being shipped around the world for no good reason. They will not be contributing to conservation, they will not be contributing to education, their welfare will suffer and their lives – almost certainly – will be short and miserable. No serious conservationist thinks this is acceptable and we must do all in our power to bring such a brutal trade to an end.”
Sydney: Here's what you can do:
1. Go into the website http://www.zimbabweprimeminister.org
2. Click on contacts.
3. Send an email to the Zimbabwe Prime Minister. Please be civil.
Here's a sample that you can send:
Dear Sir,
I recently learned of your intention to sell infant elephants to North Korea. Please reconsider. As you must be aware, this would be a terrible act of abuse as baby elephants should never be separated from their mothers and matriarchic families at a young age--especially before weaning. This is uncontested by all serious wildlife biologists.
There is also no justification for this economically or morally. We appeal to your conscience as custodians of one of the earth's greatest wildlands.
We also request that you reconsider exporting other live wild animals including white rhinoceros, lions, leopard, cheetah, the endangered wild dog and the critically endangered black rhinoceros. These animals do not belong in zoos, especially confined, undermaintained and underfinanced ones.
Sincerely,
Last edited on Wed Jun 9th, 2010 07:07 am by sydneyst
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sydneyst
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Posted: Mon Apr 26th, 2010 12:14 pm |
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Elephant Census Begins in Orissa
From Hindu Times
Bhubaneswar, April 22, 2010
Around 10,000 officials of the Orissa Wildlife Department have started a survey to determine the number of wild elephants in the state, an official said Thursday.
The officials have been trained and provided necessary kits to track the elephants in the wild through their footmarks and dung.
“We have provided our officials with equipments and trained them how to track the elephants. It would be a comprehensive census. The officials have gone into the forests from today (Thursday),” said P.N. Padhi, principal chief conservator of forests.
The counting exercise will last three days.
The census would be conducted in about 129,700 sq km of forest area in the state.
“We have formed separate teams to count the elephants. They will keep a track on the movement of elephants 24X7 for the next three days. During these three days, they will track the beats and waterholes which the elephants frequent,” said A.K. Das, a district forest officer.
According to a census in 2007, there were 1,862 elephants in the state.
Last edited on Mon Apr 26th, 2010 12:17 pm by sydneyst
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sydneyst
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Posted: Sun Apr 18th, 2010 04:32 am |
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Elephant Rampage in Aceh Related to Habitat Destruction
Nurdin Hasan
Sumatran elephants fight as they bathe in a river in Tesso Nilo national park, Riau Province. (EPA Photo/Mast Irham)
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/wild-elephants-trample.../367474
Wild Elephants Trample Aceh’s Remote Villages Banda Aceh. Hundreds of villagers in the district of East Aceh fled to safety after what has been called one of the worst recent outbreaks of elephant attacks in the area, an activist said on Sunday.
Bahtiar, a field officer from Leuser International Foundation of East Aceh, said that a pack of some 30 wild elephants had been rampaging through two remote villages in Serbajadi subdistrict almost daily over the past several days.
“This morning I received a report from some residents of those villages that on Saturday some wild elephants came into the villages, destroyed their houses and ate their crops,” he told the Jakarta Globe.
“Now the local residents are scared and cautious because the elephants chased a villager who tried to scare them off with some traditional methods that included a torch, a bamboo cannon and a carbide cannon,” he added
The neighboring villages that have become the target of the elephants are Kuala Panggoh and Ketibung Busara. Both are government-assigned transmigration areas that have been occupied since the early 1990s.
Bahtiar said that since the elephant attacks began, 48 houses in Kuala Panggoh village had been severely damaged while 52 more had sustained minor damage. Nearly 30 houses have been destroyed in Ketibung Busara.
“The villagers who have lost their homes because of the elephant attacks are now staying in mosques,” he said, adding that some forest rangers and volunteers from nongovernmental organizations were assisting displaced families.
The Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), East Aceh’s forestry agency and some environmental activists plan to visit the area on Tuesday.
The team plans to conduct a survey of the location, using the results to build a conservation response unit. Four tame elephants will be included in the unit to chase the wild elephants back to the jungle.
Bahtiar said most conflicts between wild elephants and humans in Aceh stemmed from the clearing of land for plantations. He said that when trees were cut, the elephants lost their natural habitat and food supply.
“Moreover, the newly cleared areas are often planted with rice and palms, which are elephants’ favorite foods,” he said.
Abu Bakar Chekmat, head of the Aceh BKSDA, said that the solution to elephant attacks was to simply stop illegal logging, especially in the elephants’ jungle habitat and along their migration paths.
“Actually, the regional government has made a mistake in the first place by creating a transmigration area in a place surrounded by jungles and mountains,” he said. “One of the solutions to stop these incidents would be to relocate the villagers to another place and restore the area into a conservation jungle.”
Last edited on Sun Apr 18th, 2010 04:57 am by sydneyst
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sydneyst
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Posted: Fri Apr 9th, 2010 09:59 am |
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Tsavo Elephants Recovering from Drought:
Playfulness and Joy Abound with Ample Food and Water
report by Cynthia Moss Wed, 2010-04-07 17:55 at :
http://www.elephanttrust.org/node/636
 
I flew up to Nairobi from Amboseli this morning. The Park and surrounding areas are looking gorgeous. It is green and lush. The grass is thick and there are new plants I don’t remember seeing before. It is such a contrast to the last six months of 2009.
The elephants are rapidly recovering and some have clearly completely recovered. There are many females coming into oestrus and they have to be in good shape to do that. When they are in poor condition they stop reproductive cycling. Once their body fat reserves reach a certain point again the hormones kick in. They are definitely keeping the big males busy and breaking the hearts of the younger males.
Being out with the elephants is a joy once again. They are moving in big groups in which there are high rates of social interaction. One of the days I was out I was with a group of about 75 individuals from 9:30 to 12:00 and all that time they didn’t feed at all. They socialized and played, mudwallowed and swam. The food must be so rich that they can take time off from feeding.
Miraculously a few females have given birth in the last two months. I don’t know how they carried these calves through the drought. In the group of 75 there were three tiny calves and two of them were particularly fun to watch. Two female calves, the daughters of two sisters—Farida and Fortino--they were only three weeks old, but very active and unusually they were almost inseparable. Very young calves of this age stay close to their mothers and don’t start venturing away till they’re about two months old, but after suckling one or the other would leave her mother to find the other. If we hadn’t watched closely we would think they were twins
Last edited on Fri Apr 9th, 2010 10:06 am by sydneyst
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sydneyst
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Posted: Fri Mar 26th, 2010 08:43 pm |
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Victory Confirmed for Elephants
Group Rejects Tanzanian Bid for One-Off Ivory Sale
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/world/africa/23ivory.html
ALAN COWELL, New York Times
March 22, 2010]
PARIS — With elephant poaching on the rise, a United Nations-sponsored conservation group on Monday rejected a bid by Tanzania to ease a ban on international ivory sales to permit a one-off sale of some 90 tons of its stocks. A separate effort by Zambia to secure a future relaxation of the prohibition was also turned down.
Conservationists in the United States, Europe and other parts of Africa had argued that Tanzania had not combated poaching of elephants and the illegal ivory trade, but Tanzanian officials said the elephant population in their country had more than doubled in recent years to 137,000 in 2006 from 55,000 in 1989.
The sale would have been worth some $20 million.
Zambia had also been seeking permission to hold a sale of more than 21 tons of its ivory stocks, arguing that its elephant population of 27,000 was “steadily increasing.” But after the Tanzanian bid was rejected, Zambia withdrew its proposal, The Associated Press reported, in hopes of winning approval for eventual sales in the future.
Despite support from the United States and some European countries, the Zambian plan was opposed by most African nations, The A.P. said.The illegal ivory trade is a fraught issue among conservationists. Since 1989, the international trade has been outlawed by the 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, known by its acronym, Cites, which is meeting in Doha, Qatar, to debate an array of animal conservation issues related to endangered species.
The rejection of the Tanzanian and Zambian proposals represented a rare victory for conservationists at the Doha meeting. Last week, delegates soundly defeated American-supported plans to ban international trade in bluefin tuna and to protect polar bears. Since 1989, Cites, based in Geneva, has permitted occasional one-off sales of stocks of tusks captured from poachers or taken from animals that died of natural causes.
Some African countries, including Kenya and Mali, have maintained that any legalization of the ivory trade leads to renewed poaching by organized gangs who sell illicit ivory goods principally in China. International conservation groups have also opposed an easing of the ban.
“To permit any step towards further trade in ivory makes no sense whatsoever,” said Jason Bell-Leask of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, in a statement before the Doha meeting. “It flies in the face of every basic conservation principle.”
Southern Tanzania, the International Fund for Animal Welfare said, “has been a poaching hot spot for the past few years.”
Carlos Drew, a spokesman for the World Wildlife Fund, said after Monday’s decision: “Governments made the right decision by rejecting Tanzania’s proposals. It is not the right time to be approving ivory sales due to increased elephant poaching in central and western Africa,” The A.P. reported.
But other groups maintain there is no evidence of a link between one-off sales and poaching.In its proposal for an easing of the ban, Tanzania said its plan “aims at promoting sustainable conservation of the elephant population” by reinvestment of profits from a one-off sale in wildlife conservation and in support for “development activities of communities living within the elephant ecosystems.”
“Rural people do not tolerate the presence of elephants unless the costs of living with elephants can be offset by economic benefits derived from elephants,” the proposal said.
The Zambian proposal echoed the Tanzanian argument, saying “the primary risk to the long-term survival of the elephant in Zambia is not international trade but increasing conflicts with legitimate human interests such as agriculture as shown by the rising number of human-elephant conflicts.”
“The Zambian government by law owes it to the rural communities to conserve and to benefit from wildlife resources in a serious partnership,” the proposal said.
“Situations where human beings rise against the elephant due to rising incidences of crop damage, injury and worse still loss of human life cannot be tolerated in an era where various sustainable use options for intervention exist” in other southern African countries.
Last edited on Fri Apr 9th, 2010 09:58 am by sydneyst
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sydneyst
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Posted: Fri Mar 26th, 2010 08:39 pm |
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Tanzania Proposal Fails; Victory for Elephants?
COP15 CITES Doha
Date: March 25th 2010
By: savetheelephants
[size=NEWS IN FROM DOHA: BOTH TANZANIA AND ZAMBIA HAVE FAILED, YET AGAIN, TO GARNER ENOUGH VOTES TO PASS THEIR PROPOSALS TO DOWNLIST THEIR ELEPHANTS TO APPENDIX II!!! IT IS INDEED VICTORY FOR THE ELEPHANTS! THIS IS HOW THE VOTES WENT: ]
Tanzania final vote:
For Down listing elephants to Appendix II: 55
Against: 55
Abstain: 34
Zambia Final vote:
For Down listing elephants to Appendix II: 59
Against: 47
Abstain: 38
More update to follow!!! |
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sydneyst
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Posted: Sun Mar 14th, 2010 06:20 pm |
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African States About to Relax Ban on Ivory Sale;
Sad Day for Elephants and Their Protectors
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2010/03/african-countries-proposal-to-allow-onetime-sale-of-elephant-ivory-stirs-controversy.html
Beginning this weekend, the international community will debate proposals from Tanzania and Zambia to allow a one-time sale of ivory to clear out stockpiles. Kenyan officials are warning that if sales are approved in neighboring countries, elephant poaching will soar.
"We totally believe that any experiments to allow partial lifting of [the] international ban in ivory trade stimulates elephant poaching and leads to ivory laundering," the Kenyan Wildlife Service's Patrick Omandi said. "Indeed there has been an increase in poaching across the entire continent, with some countries losing their entire population."
CITES -- the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species -- for four African countries, the wildlife officials say. Last year 271 Kenyan elephants were killed by poachers, compared with 37 in 2007, Omandi said.
Tribesmen have lived among wildlife for centuries in Tsavo East, a huge expanse of wilderness where some 6,000 elephants live. But park officials say those locals are increasingly turning to poaching. An average set of tusks can net $2,000 or more locally -- a huge sum to an impoverished rural family in an area where seasonal rains have failed the last five years, ruining crops and spreading hunger.
Kenyan officials are particularly angered that Tanzania wants to sell its ivory stocks. Kenya and Tanzania share a long border where parks like Kenya's Masai Mara and Tanzania's Serengeti National Park intertwine. As Omandi likes to point out, elephants carry no passports, and cross the border freely.
At the CITES meeting in Qatar from March 13 to 25, Tanzania is asking the 175 members to allow it to sell almost 200,000 pounds (90,000 kilograms) of ivory. It noted in its proposal that its elephant population has risen from about 55,000 in 1989 to almost 137,000, according to a 2007 study.
Zambia wants to sell 48,000 pounds (21,700 kilograms) of ivory. Zambia says its elephant population of 27,000 is steadily increasing.
While populations might be healthy in those two countries, Omandi warned that populations elsewhere in Africa are being driven to extinction. Sierra Leone, in northwest Africa, lost its last elephants in December, and Senegal has fewer than 10 left, he said.
In its proposal, Tanzania argues that trade in elephant products is essential to conservation.
"Human-elephant conflicts are growing and the view by the communities is that elephants are a pest. Elephant products such as ivory picked up from the wildlife management areas could increase the value of elephants to those communities and this can only result in the community appreciating elephants more," the proposal says.
"I believe the risk of the sale is enormous," Samuel Wasser, the director of the Center for Conservation Biology at the University of Washington, said. "If the current situation continues unabated, poaching is going to continue to rise. This will negatively affect many countries, not just Kenya and Tanzania. Effort needs to be put into stopping poaching, not arguing over whether we should have more sales."
Last edited on Fri Mar 26th, 2010 08:37 pm by sydneyst
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sydneyst
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Posted: Fri Mar 12th, 2010 10:17 am |
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More Pictures of Before and After the Tsavo Drought
http://www.elephanttrust.org/node/623
Before and After Sun, 2010-01-31 13:34 by cmoss
I thought you might enjoy seeing some before and after the drought photos. These were taken from the verandah of my tent in late October and in January. What a difference some rain makes. I am always amazed at how resilient African savannahs are. Part of Echo's family, the EBs, are in the after picture.
Attached Image (viewed 50 times):
 Last edited on Fri Mar 12th, 2010 10:38 am by sydneyst
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Posted: Wed Feb 17th, 2010 06:10 pm |
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Zimbabwean Security Forces Accused of Poaching
2010-02-11
Washington Post
Feb. 11, 2010
also see: http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0214-hance_zimpoach.html
By Chengetai ZvauyaHARARE, Zimbabwe -- The leader of a U.N. program to protect endangered species on Thursday charged that Zimbabwean security forces are spearheading poaching of elephants and rhinos in the troubled country.
At a news conference Thursday in Harare, Willem Wijnstekers, secretary-general of the U.N. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, said security forces had killed about 200 rhinos over the past two years, putting that population on the verge of extinction in Zimbabwe. He did not give a figure on elephants.
Wijnstekers did not give details on the allegations against security forces.
"Questions are now being asked on whether the Zimbabwe government is doing enough to protect its wildlife," Wijnstekers said. "This leaves us with no option but to recommend that the country be brought before the CITES board to explain the poaching. If they fail to do that they risk being banned to trade in ivory."
Wijnstekers, who is on fact-finding mission in Zimbabwe, said he had briefed Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
Last edited on Wed Feb 17th, 2010 06:18 pm by sydneyst
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Posted: Wed Feb 17th, 2010 09:15 am |
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Corridor of Certainty for Jumbos
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/52821/corridor-certainty-jumbos.html
http://www.elephants.com/newsStory.php?newsID=1234
Deccan Herald
Feb. 17, 2010
By Shyam Sundar Vattam
A Wildlife Trust of India initiative has (reclaimed) 23 acres of land in Yedaralli and Dodda Sampige villages for elephants. This move, it is hoped, will curb man-elephant conflict in the region.
The land which was once an important elephant corridor (but was ) later cultivated.
The Trust cajoled, convinced and coaxed farmers who were tilling this land to sell them the same. Finally, the farmers complied and formally handed over the land to forest officials of Chamarajanagar Wildlife Division. This could not have been possible for the department had the WTI not taken steps in this regard.
Many decades ago, an elephant corridor existed from Chamarajanagar and the pachyderms moved around freely without any problems. As long as the corridor was intact and free from encroachments, the jumbos did not sway from their path and therefore, didn’t cause any problems for farmers.
Last edited on Wed Feb 17th, 2010 09:26 am by sydneyst
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Posted: Wed Feb 17th, 2010 09:04 am |
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Kenya Seeks US Support Against Ivory Trade http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/updates/updates.asp
Daily Nation February 9, 2010
Kenya’s campaign against trade in elephant ivory goes before the US Congress Wednesday as the government solicits support for its proposal for a 20-year moratorium. A senior scientist from the Kenya Wildlife Service left for Washington DC Monday to testify about wildlife issues before a US House of Representative committee on Natural Resources. Patrick Omondi, KWS Head of Species Conservation and Management will brief the committee on the state of elephant poaching with a view to enlisting the US support in opposing Tanzania and Zambia’s proposals to carry out a one-off sale of almost 110 tonnes of ivory.(read more)
Last edited on Wed Feb 17th, 2010 09:10 am by sydneyst
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Posted: Tue Jan 19th, 2010 05:43 pm |
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The Return of Echo's Son: Ely the Brave Survivor
Mon, 2010-01-18 15:16 by cmoss
   
excerpts:
Soila, Norah and I went out together this morning to {search for elephants in Amboseli). There in the tall elephant grass to the south of Lake Conch we found an aggregation of over 100 elephants consisting of several families and 10+ bulls. {Counting different family members was near impossible so} I said let's see if we can identify the bulls. We drove over to a group of four bulls who were sparring in the river. Norah knew three of them, but the fourth one appeared to be a stranger. He had a large bump high up on his back above the hip.
We looked closely at him and noted that he had curtain or drape ears with prominent folds at the top. He started sparring with Bjorn who was born in 1989. The mystery male seemed slightly smaller so maybe he was a '90 or a '91.
Then Norah said maybe it's Ely (Soila and I laughed) and she got out his card. We looked at the veins, the drape in his ear, and his almost hairless tail and started to get more and more excited. The age was right; he was born February 28, 1990. What added to our excitement was knowing that in 1997 Ely had been speared in exactly the spot where the bump now was. A good view of the veins in his right ear confirmed it was definitely Ely. We were so excited, clapping and shouting, that we scared a poor bull who was coming to join the others.
Ely was Echo's son who was born crippled. Martyn Colbeck and I were there to film him from the time he was only a couple of hours old. Ely couldn't stand because his front carpal joints (like our wrists) were completely bent under and rigid. However, Echo and her older daughter Enid would not give up on him, even when the rest of the family had to leave to find food and water.
Ely turned out to be a survivor. He kept trying to stretch and bend his legs and eventually they became more flexible. On the third day he was able to stand. His story was the main part of the first Echo film and book: "Echo of the Elephants". Martyn and I also wrote a children's book about Ely called "Little Big Ears: the story of Ely".
Over the next ten years Ely had many adventures and problems including a bout of what we call "twisting disease" and in 1997 he was speared. He was treated by a vet and recovered.
Some time in 2000 Ely went independent which was early for a young male. The average age of departure is around 12. Some are real mama's boys and stay till 18, but not Ely. He was ready to go out and join the other males and learn how to be a bull. He was seen a few times after he left, the last time in April 2001. After that he was never seen again until today. That is nearly nine years.
Where was he? What was he doing? One of the bulls near him was Neill who we also hadn't seen in several years. Norah and Soila had last recorded Neill on one of their trips to Tanzania, so we think Ely may have been with him. Wherever he's been, he's been doing well. He is a big, handsome, healthy 20 year-old getting ready to compete with other males to mate with females. We hope he'll pass on those good survivor genes.
I am attaching four photos of Ely: 1) right ear showing the veins and drape ear and part of his body showing the bump; 2) 1997 photo of Ely with spear; 3) Ely in 1997 from the back with spear; and 4) Ely today moving away showing the bump and his sparse tail hairs.
Last edited on Wed Jan 20th, 2010 03:46 pm by sydneyst
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