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Elephant tourism often involves cruelty – here are steps toward more humane, animal-friendly excursions

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michelle-szydlowski-1495781">Michelle Szydlowski</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/miami-university-1934">Miami University</a></em></p> <p>Suju Kali is a 50-year-old elephant in Nepal who has been carrying tourists for over 30 years. Like many elephants I encounter through my <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10888705.2022.2028628">research</a>, Suju Kali exhibits anxiety and can be aggressive toward strangers. She suffers from emotional trauma as a result of prolonged, commercial human contact.</p> <p>Like Suju Kali, many animals are trapped within the tourism industry. Some venues have no oversight and little concern for animal or tourist safety. Between 120,000 and 340,000 animals are used globally in a variety of wildlife tourism attractions, including <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0138939">endangered species</a> like elephants. Over a quarter of the world’s <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/7140/45818198">endangered elephants</a> reside in captivity with little oversight.</p> <p>Wildlife tourism – which involves viewing wildlife such as primates or birds in conservation areas, feeding or touching captive or “rehabilitated” wildlife in facilities, and bathing or riding animals like elephants – is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14724049.2022.2156523">tricky business</a>. I know this because I am <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=YbweA2MAAAAJ&amp;hl=en">a researcher studying human relationships with elephants</a> in both tourism and conservation settings within Southeast Asia.</p> <p>These types of experiences have long been an <a href="https://kathmandupost.com/money/2021/06/17/tourism-is-nepal-s-fourth-largest-industry-by-employment-study">extremely popular and profitable</a> part of the <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.1002074">tourism market</a>. But now, many travel-related organizations are urging people not to participate in, or <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2018/04/27/animal-welfare-travelers-how-enjoy-wildlife-without-harming/544938002/">calling for an outright ban on, interactive wildlife experiences</a>.</p> <p>Tourism vendors have started marketing more “ethical options” for consumers. Some are attempting to truly improve the health and welfare of wildlife, and some are transitioning captive wildlife into touch-free, non-riding or lower-stress environments. In other places, organizations are attempting to <a href="https://www.fao.org/documents/card/es/c/b2c5dad0-b9b9-5a3d-a720-20bf3b9f0dc2/">implement standards of care</a> or create manuals that outline good practices for animal husbandry.</p> <p>This marketing, academics argue, is often simply “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2017.11.007">greenwashing</a>,” <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2023.2280704">applying marketing labels to make consumers feel better</a> about their choices without making any real changes. Worse, research shows that some programs marketing themselves as ethical tourism may instead be widening economic gaps and harming both humans and other species that they are meant to protect.</p> <h2>No quick fix</h2> <p>For example, rather than tourist dollars trickling down to local struggling families as intended by local governments, many tourism venues are owned by nonresidents, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/japfcsc.v2i1.26746">meaning the profits do not stay in the area</a>. Likewise, only a small number of residents can afford to own tourism venues, and venues do not provide employment for locals from lower income groups.</p> <p>This economic gap is especially obvious in Nepalese elephant stables: Venue owners continue to make money off elephants, while elephant caregivers continue to work 17 hours a day for about US$21 a month; tourists are led to believe they are “<a href="https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/book/10.1079/9781800624498.0000">promoting sustainability</a>.”</p> <p>Yet, there are no easy answers, especially for elephants working in tourism. Moving them to sanctuaries is difficult because with no governmental or global welfare oversight, elephants may end up in worse conditions.</p> <p>Many kindhearted souls who want to “help” elephants know little about their biology and mental health needs, or what it takes to keep them healthy. Also, feeding large animals like Suju Kali is pricey, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14010171">costing around $19,000 yearly</a>. So without profits from riding or other income, owners – or would-be rescuers – can’t maintain elephants. Releasing captive elephants to the jungle is not a choice – many have never learned to live in the wild, so they cannot survive on their own.</p> <h2>Hurting local people</h2> <p>Part of the problem lies with governments, as many have marketed tourism as a way to fund conservation projects. For example in Nepal, a percentage of ticket sales from elephant rides are given to community groups to use for forest preservation and support for local families.</p> <p>Increasing demand for <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Tourism-and-Animal-Ethics/Fennell/p/book/9781032431826">wildlife-based tourism</a> may increase traffic in the area and thus put pressure on local governments to further limit local people’s access to forest resources.</p> <p>This may also lead to <a href="https://www.worldanimalprotection.org/latest/news/un-world-tourism-organisation-urged-create-better-future-animals/">increased demands on local communities</a>, as was the case in Nepal. In the 1970s, the Nepalese government removed local people from their lands in what is now Chitwan National Park as part of increasing “conservation efforts” and changed the protected area’s boundaries. Indigenous “Tharu,” or people of the forest, were forced to abandon their villages and land. While some were offered access to “buffer zones” in the 1990s, many remain poor and landless today.</p> <p>In addition, more and more desirable land surrounding conservation areas in Nepal is being developed for tourist-based businesses such as hotels, restaurants and shops, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/japfcsc.v2i1.26746">pushing local poor people farther away</a> from central village areas and the associated tourism income.</p> <p>Some activists would like humans to simply release all wildlife back into the wild, but <a href="https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/book/10.1079/9781800624498.0000">there are multiple issues</a> with that. Elephant habitats throughout Southeast Asia have been transformed into croplands, cities or train tracks for human use. Other problems arise from the fact that tourism elephants have <a href="https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315457413">never learned</a> how to be elephants in their natural elements, as they were <a href="https://www.pugetsound.edu/sites/default/files/file/8342_Journal%20of%20Tourism%20%282009%29_0.pdf">separated from their herds</a> at an early age.</p> <p>So tourism may be vital to providing food, care and shelter to captive elephants for the rest of their lives and providing jobs for those who really need them. Because elephants can live beyond 60 years, this can be a large commitment.</p> <h2>How to be an ethical tourist</h2> <p>To protect elephants, tourists should check out reviews and photos from any venue they want to visit, and look for clues that animal welfare might be impacted, such as tourists allowed to feed, hold or ride captive wildlife animals. Look for healthy animals, which means doing research on what “healthy” animals of that species should look like.</p> <p>If a venue lists no-touch demonstrations – “unnatural” behaviors that don’t mimic what an elephant might do of their own accord, such as sitting on a ball or riding a bike, or other performances – remember that the behind-the-scenes training used to achieve these behaviors can be <a href="https://doi.org/10.21832/9781845415051-014">violent, traumatic or coercive</a>.</p> <p>Another way to help people and elephant is to to use small, local companies to book your adventures in your area of interest, rather than paying large, international tourism agencies. Look for locally owned hotels, and wait to book excursions until you arrive so you can use local service providers. Book homestay programs and attend cultural events led by community members; talk to tourists and locals you meet in the target town to get their opinions, and use local guides who provide wildlife viewing opportunities <a href="https://nepaldynamicecotours.com/">while maintaining distance from animals</a>.</p> <p>Or tourists can ask to visit <a href="https://www.americanhumane.org/press-release/global-humane-launches-humane-tourism-certification-program/">venues that are certified</a> by international humane animal organizations and that <a href="https://www.su4e.org/">do not allow contact</a> with wildlife. Or they can opt for guided hikes, canoe or kayak experiences, and other environmentally friendly options.</p> <p>While these suggestions will not guarantee that your excursion is animal-friendly, they will help decrease your impact on wildlife, support local families and encourage venues to stop using elephants as entertainment. Those are good first steps.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219792/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michelle-szydlowski-1495781">Michelle Szydlowski</a>, Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Project Dragonfly, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/miami-university-1934">Miami University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/elephant-tourism-often-involves-cruelty-here-are-steps-toward-more-humane-animal-friendly-excursions-219792">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Travel Tips

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Love-struck elephant goes wild on safari

<p>In the annals of adventure, there are tales of bravery and resilience – and then there are tales of two guys just trying to find a quiet spot for a bathroom break in South Africa.</p> <p>Meet Henry Blom and Taylor Fulmer, the unlikely protagonists of a safari gone haywire. Innocently disembarking from their tour truck for a brief moment of relief in the bush, the pair suddenly found themselves smack dab in the middle of a romantic rampage by none other than a love-stricken bull elephant.</p> <p>As screams echoed through the savannah, Henry and Taylor found themselves in a bizarre game of hide and seek with a pachyderm-sized opponent. "We got off the truck with a bunch of other people to use the bathrooms and then we started hearing screaming," Henry <a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/today/elephant-safari-attack-witnesses-describe-terrifying-moment-wild-animal-charged/451c9dd1-3d90-4112-868c-99e3a8f17019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recounted on the <em>Today </em>show</a>, probably wishing they had all decided to hold it in a little longer.</p> <p>But it wasn't just any elephant causing the ruckus. No, this was one amorous elephant on a mission – sweating, urinating and emitting more bodily fluids than a broken faucet.</p> <p>As the wild beast charged, Henry and Taylor feared for their lives, imagining scenarios straight out of an action movie where they'd be the unlucky extras squashed beneath a mammoth-sized villain.</p> <p>Yet, amid the chaos, there emerged a hero: the tour guide. While the elephant treated the truck like a chew toy, the guide maintained a Zen-like calm, steering the vehicle with the finesse of a seasoned race car driver dodging obstacles. "We saw the elephant charge and my fear was that it was going to go through the window," Taylor recounted, possibly wondering if he should've packed a spare pair of pants for the trip.</p> <p>As the dust settled and the elephant's romantic pursuit waned, Henry and Taylor breathed a sigh of relief. But their ordeal wasn't over just yet. The guide's sage advice? "Stay quiet and get ready to run."</p> <p>Words of wisdom to live by, especially when you're in the crosshairs of a loved-up elephant.</p> <p>Reflecting on their brush with danger, Henry and Taylor couldn't help but marvel at the surreal experience. "He was so close we could smell him, it was crazy," Henry mused, perhaps understating the olfactory assault they endured.</p> <p>So, the next time you're contemplating a safari adventure, remember Henry and Taylor's tale of bathroom breaks gone wild. Because when nature calls in the wild, you might just find yourself in the midst of an elephant love story – and trust us, it's not as romantic as it sounds.</p> <p>Images: The <em>Today </em>Show</p>

Travel Trouble

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Perth Zoo's elephant matriarch dies

<p>One of the world's oldest elephants, lovingly known as Tricia, has tragically died in Perth Zoo. </p> <p>Tributes began flooding in immediately for the Asian elephant who painted pictures and entertained countless visitors in almost six decades at the zoological park.</p> <p>"Tricia wasn't just well-known, she was well-loved," Premier Mark McGowan said, in a statement.</p> <p>"Her stature and her grace were compelling. For many, she was a Perth icon."</p> <p>"For six decades, she was an integral part of any visit to Perth Zoo."</p> <p>"If you lived in Perth at some point in your life then you probably have a memory of Tricia."</p> <p>Her death on Wednesday night, which is said to be from complications relating to her age, is expected to spark the closure of the zoo's elephant exhibit.</p> <p>Veterinarians and Tricia's keepers had been monitoring her health closely for some time before her health rapidly deteriorated, according to McGowan's office, as they described the elephant as among the oldest in the world and the oldest being cared for by a zoo in Australasia.</p> <p>"Tricia's final moments were peaceful. She was surrounded by her carers in her night quarters on Wednesday evening, July 6, 2022," the office said, in a statement.</p> <p>The zoo wants mourners to donate to the Tricia Tribute to Conservation Fund in lieu of sending flowers, to help create a "lasting legacy for this extraordinary animal".</p> <p>The fund is designed to help support the zoo's conservation efforts and build an elephant guard post in Indonesian island Sumatra's Bukit Tigapuluh ecosystem, to help monitor and protect one of the last remaining wild herds of Sumatran elephants.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Court to decide if Happy the elephant is a legal person

<p dir="ltr">An Asian elephant called Happy has lived at the Bronx Zoo for the past 45 years, but the question of whether she is legally human - and entitled to human rights - has been posed to New York’s highest court, per <em><a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/happy-the-elephants-historic-human-rights-trial-for-legal-person-status/365QJSJP4AF5DJLUZ34JYDE7RA/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NZHerald</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">On one hand, advocates at the Nonhuman Rights Project say she is an autonomous, cognitively complex elephant and should be released from her current enclosure under a habeas corpus proceeding, which is a way for people to challenge illegal confinement.</p> <p dir="ltr">Bronx Zoo, on the other hand, say she shouldn’t be considered a person, with an attorney arguing that Happy isn’t illegally imprisoned nor a person, and is in fact a well-cared for elephant that is “respected as the magnificent creature she is”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Nonhuman Rights Project are calling for Happy to be moved from a “one-acre prison” at the zoo to another, more spacious sanctuary.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She has an interest in exercising her choices and deciding who she wants to be with, and where to go, and what to do, and what to eat,” attorney Monica Millar, representing the advocates, told the Associated Press ahead of the oral arguments.</p> <p dir="ltr">“And the zoo is prohibiting her from making any of those choices herself.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The group said Happy became the first elephant to pass a self-awareness indicator test in 2005, after repeatedly touching a white “X” on her forehead while looking into a large mirror.</p> <p dir="ltr">Meanwhile, the zoo and its supporters argue that a win for the Nonhuman Rights Project could prompt more legal action on behalf of animals, including pets and other zoo animals.</p> <p dir="ltr">In a prepared statement, the zoo accused the Nonhuman Rights Project (NRP) of exploiting Happy for their “coordinated agenda”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The blatant exploitation of Happy the elephant by NRP to advance their coordinated agenda shows no concern for the individual animal and reveals the fact they are willing to sacrifice Happy’s health and psychological wellbeing to set precedent,” the zoo said.</p> <p dir="ltr">NRP’s say that Happy’s right to “bodily liberty” is being violated by the zoo, no matter how she is treated, arguing that if Happy’s right to liberty under habeas corpus is recognised by the courts, she will be a “person” and must be released.</p> <p dir="ltr">In court, Judge Jenny Rivera asked Miller about the implication of NRP’s position for other human-animal relationships.</p> <p dir="ltr">“So does that mean that I couldn’t keep a dog?” she asked. “I mean, dogs can memorise words.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Miller said there was currently more evidence showing elephants are extraordinarily cognitively complex and have advanced analytical abilities.</p> <p dir="ltr">The high court case comes after lower courts have ruled against NRP in similar cases, including one involving a chimpanzee in upstate New York named Tommy.</p> <p dir="ltr">It also comes after a different animal rights group won their case to allow Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escabar’s “cocaine hippos” to be recognised as people with legal rights in the US - though it had no ramifications for the hippos, who currently reside in Colombia.</p> <p dir="ltr">As of publication, the panel of seven judges presiding over the case has <a href="https://www.thelawyersdaily.ca/articles/36592/tale-of-two-animals-marcel-strigberger-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reserved its decision</a> on the matter, with the answer expected in the coming months.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-bc920373-7fff-3dd4-d61d-0a2d15961bd9"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Gigi Glendinning (Nonhuman Rights Project)</em></p>

Legal

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Terrifying moment angry elephant charges at Aussie tourists during South African safari

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A jeep full of tourists got more than they bargained for as they’ve filmed the moment an adult elephant charged towards their car.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The footage posted to YouTube shows the vehicle reversing at high speed to escape the irritated animal that’s chasing the vehicle.</span></p> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ksMwL-w45cw"></iframe></div> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The elephant appears to ram the front of the vehicle in the video and makes trumpeting noises while flapping its ears while chasing the vehicle.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some of the passengers used their phones to film the ordeal, while the driver desperately tried to lose the elephant. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The driver is seen reversing at high speeds to outpace the elephant, who isn’t happy at all with the intruders.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">People were quick to comment on the nerve-wracking encounter.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Not even a full grown male. Wouldn’t have ended well with that happening,” someone said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Others were quick to point out the car full of people filming the event.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Getting attacked by an elephant? Get the Snapchat ready,” one person wrote.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Quick the elephant trying to kill us, grab [your] phone,” another added.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The average African elephant will grow between 2.5 to 4 metres from shoulder to toe and weigh between 2268kgs to 6350kgs, according to the </span><a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/a/african-elephant/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">National Geographic</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> They are known as the largest animals on Earth and are also known to defend their territory with the same gusto seen in the video.</span></p>

Travel Trouble

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How conservationists are saving the lives of Africa’s elephants

<p>In a desperate bid to protect 500 African elephants from poachers, conservationists in Malawi are attempting to manually migrate the beasts to a new sanctuary. According to the WWF, the total number of African elephants has plummeted from 3.5 million in the early 1900s to just 470,000 today.</p> <p>The conservationists have designed an elaborate method of relocating the endangered elephant species, using tranquilisers, helicopters and cranes to transport the giants 300km away from the Liwonde National Park and the Majete Reserve to the Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve.</p> <p>The project, costing $1.6 million, will see the elephants safely relocated, with measures in place to ensure they are comfortable for the journey. They will be tranquilised by dart fired from helicopters, then hung upside down by the ankles by a large crane. Their ears will be flipped to cover their eyes and block out the light and the tips of the trunk will be propped open to ensure they can breathe. Once they arrive at the new sanctuary, they will be woken up with an injection.</p> <p>“This is very much the way that we'll have to manage things in the future,” Craig Reid, manager of the Liwonde National Park told AP.</p> <p>The process will be undertaken through August, before restarting next July.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/07/tourists-close-encounter-with-humpback-whale/"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em>Incredible photograph shows tourists’ close encounter with humpback whale</em></span></strong></a></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/07/naughty-money-will-not-stop-annoying-cat/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Naughty monkey won’t stop annoying cat</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/07/super-friendly-manatee-hangs-out-with-paddle-boarders/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Super-friendly manatee hangs out with paddle boarders</strong></em></span></a></p>

News

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Baby elephant ecstatic upon discovering a kiddie pool

<p>A two-month old elephant has been filmed rolling and splashing in a blow up pool that zookeepers put in his enclosure. The calf is so excited that he even jumps head first into the pool with joy. </p> <p>The Dallas zoo resident was born May 14 to African elephant, Milo, and is so young that he is yet to be named. Dallas Zoo’s senior director for marketing and communications, Laurie Holloway, hopes the video will give cause for cheer, following the tragic shooting of eleven police officers in Dallas, a day prior.</p> <p>“It's been a tough week, and we're glad to bring some smiles to the nation,” she told <em>ABC News US.</em></p> <p>This certainly brought a smile to our day. Watch the darling footage in the video above.</p> <p>How long do you think it will take him to tire of his new toy? Let us know what you think in the comments below.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/06/do-our-pets-dream/"><em>Do our pets dream?</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/06/what-different-cat-meows-mean/"><em>Understanding your cat’s meow</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/05/special-bond-between-senior-dogs-and-their-owners/"><em>Images capture special bond between senior dogs and their owners</em></a></strong></span></p>

News

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Elephants in spa bath surprise holidaymakers

<p>Remarkable footage from South Africa has emerged, showcasing the moment a group of stunned holidaymakers notice a herd of elephants enjoying their spa.</p> <p>While they’re not pulling on a pair of elephant-sized swimmers and jumping in for a soak (there’d barely be enough space) the elephants do enjoy a nice drink.</p> <p>And while the holidaymakers seem stunned to notice the herd of elephants drinking from the spa bath, the elephants seem rather unperturbed by the whole thing.</p> <p>Let’s address the elephant in the room – they’ve done this before!  </p> <p>The video was originally posted on online forum <em>Reddit</em>, where commenters said it was not entirely uncommon to see elephants performing this way on animal reserves.</p> <p>Either way, we hear an elephant never forgets!</p> <p>Don’t you just love elephants? And while this might be a confronting, it’d be wonderful to see them so close. What’s your favourite big animal?</p> <p>Share your thoughts in the comments.</p> <p><em>Video credit: YouTube / Animal Animal</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/05/elephant-lulled-to-sleep-by-caretakers-gentle-song/"><strong>Elephant lulled to sleep by caretaker’s gentle song</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/06/adorable-baby-elephant-dances-for-cows/"><strong>Playful baby elephant dances to get cow’s attention</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/06/elephant-calf-rescued-from-drain-in-sri-lanka-video/"><strong>Elephant calf rescued from drain in heart-stopping video</strong></a></em></span></p>

International Travel

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Baby elephant dances to get cow’s attention

<p>Navann might be the youngest elephant in this nature park, but when it comes to entertaining the cows in the neighbouring field he’s certainly not bashful.</p> <p>And, as you can see in the video above, he pulls out all the stops!</p> <p>Navann lives at the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and he loves nothing more than trying to communicate with the cows in the field next to him.</p> <p>Navann does everything he can think of to try and get their attention. At one point it looks as though he’s pulling off some bizarre elephant dancing moves.</p> <p>That being said, the cows aren’t having any of it. In fact, they look a little less than impressed. Oh well, at least Navann looks like he’s having fun.</p> <p>Isn’t Naveen the cutest elephant? We love baby elephants, what’s your favourite type of animal and have you ever seen it in real life?</p> <p>Share your story in the comments.</p> <p><em>Video credit: YouTube / elephantnews</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/travel/international-travel/2016/03/where-to-see-elephants-in-the-wild/"><strong>Where to see elephants in the wild</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/06/elephant-calf-rescued-from-drain-in-sri-lanka-video/"><strong>Elephant calf rescued from drain in heart-stopping video</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/05/elephant-lulled-to-sleep-by-caretakers-gentle-song/"><strong>Elephant lulled to sleep by caretaker’s gentle song</strong></a></em></span></p>

News

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Elephant calf rescued from drain in heart-stopping video

<p>Port workers teamed up with wildlife officials to rescue an elephant calf that become precariously trapped in a drain in Sri Lanka’s southern port city of Hambantota.</p> <p>As you can see in the video above, there was not a second to waste and rescuers used ropes, mallets and even a welding tool to make the drain wide enough.</p> <p>Once the elephant was freed the workers used water to calm the obviously distressed animal, before loading it onto a vehicle and taking it to safety.</p> <p>The animal was taken away for urgent treatment, and it’s expected that it suffered a broken leg during what must’ve been a harrowing experience.</p> <p>At these stage it’s still unknown how the elephant calf found its way into the drain. </p> <p>Have you ever been involved in a dramatic animal rescue, or know anyone who has been? Share your story in the comments. </p> <p><em>Video credit: YouTube / BBC</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2014/09/the-benefits-of-having-a-pet/"><em>Why having a pet is SO good for you</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/01/photos-of-animals-hitchhiking/"><em>Hilarious photos of animals hitchhiking</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/11/how-to-help-your-pet-conquer-their-phobias/">How to help your pet conquer their phobias</a></em></strong></span></p>

News

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Elephant lulled to sleep by caretaker’s gentle song

<p>Sometimes a lullaby is the best way to calm a restless child just before bed. And if this video is anything to go by the same might be true in the elephant world.</p> <p>In this video we meet Faamai, an elephant living in a shelter in Thailand.</p> <p>It’s time for Faamai to go to bed, so to lull the magnificent creature to sleep her caretaker, Lek Chailert, sings the elephant her favourite lullaby.</p> <p>Faamai draws Chailert with her trunk for a hug, before dropping to her knees and lying to her side as Chailert continues to serenade her with her singing voice.</p> <p>Chailert eventually joins Faamai on the ground as the elephant starts to doze off.</p> <p>Isn’t it quite remarkable to see such a large animal respond to a lullaby! Have you ever seen anything like this before in your adventures?</p> <p>Please let us know in the comments below. </p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2016/04/cat-meets-dogs-at-dog-show/" target="_blank">Watch this friendly cat meet 50 dogs at a dog show</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2016/04/prince-george-president-barack-obama-photos/" target="_blank">The story behind Prince George’s presidential photos</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2016/04/lifeguard-helps-wheelchair-bound-veteran-surf/" target="_blank">Lifeguard helps make wheelchair-bound army vet's dream come true</a></strong></em></span></p>

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Where to see elephants in the wild

<p>At Nehimba Lodge, there are plenty of things that go bump in the night. The boutique lodge is built around a waterhole in Hwange National Park that draws animals during the day and into the evening.  Some visitors, such as warthog and antelope, come and go without too much fuss.  Others tend to make an entrance.</p> <p>Flapping ears, thudding feet, trumpet-like call; it is hard to hide the approach of an elephant.  And Nehimba has plenty of elephants.  In fact, according to the Great Elephant Census, Hwange is home to one of the world's largest pachyderm populations – about 40,000 at the latest count.</p> <p>Many of them seem to enjoy hanging around Nehimba, particularly in the dry season when its waterhole is one of the few reliable water sources in the area.  When the crush around the waterhole gets too great, some of them have been known to try siphoning water out of the lodge swimming pool, sometimes startling the guests who are enjoying a cool dip.</p> <p>When I ask my guide precisely how many elephants show up, he tells me the number is unpredictable, then nonchalantly mentions that the record 24-hour head count is 750.</p> <p>Hwange's elephants are a Zimbabwe success story.  Elsewhere on the continent, poachers are decimating elephant populations.  In Hwange, by contrast, numbers have boomed in the 80-odd years since the park was established, from a starting population of about 1000.  Today, visitors can expect to see bachelor herds of 20 to 30 elephants, or family groups of about 40 or 50.</p> <p>Unless, of course, you do as I do, and come at the wrong time.  My arrival in Hwange coincides with the start of the rainy season, which is when the elephants migrate to Botswana.  During my entire stay, my elephant tally never rises above three.  However, they have left plenty of traces of their passing.  Most of the trees stand at a uniform height, ruthlessly cropped by grazing elephants.  The rest lean at precarious angles, victims of the passage of large numbers of pachyderms, which tend to move through the landscape as gently as a combine harvester.  My guide shows me trees that have had their trunks worn smooth by an endless procession of tuskers rubbing their itchy bums on the bark.  Even the dirt roads we drive on, he tells me, were originally trails made by elephants.</p> <p>Luckily for me, elephants aren't the only impressive thing about Hwange.  The park is home to 400 species of birds and more than 100 species of mammals, including leopard, hyena, and wild dogs.  The most staggering number of all, however, relates to visitors.  At 14,650 square kilometres, Hwange is about 5000 square kilometres smaller than South Africa's famous Kruger National Park.  Kruger gets about 1.6 million visitors a year. Hwange gets about 30,000.</p> <p>The destruction of Zimbabwe's tourism industry is part of the broader tragedy that has enveloped the country in recent decades.  A series of disasters presided over by the Mugabe government saw minorities massacred, land seized from white farmers, violent electoral protests, and the economy ruined through hyperinflation.  With a power-sharing government now in place, visitors are starting to come back, drawn by the prospect of superb crowd-free wildlife viewing.  In the process, according to lodge co-owner Mark Butcher, they are helping rescue Zimbabwe's people from poverty.  In a country where unemployment sits above 85 per cent, tourism offers desperately needed employment opportunities.</p> <p>"When we were building our last lodge, we employed 83 locals during construction," Butcher says.  "Sixty-three of them had never worked before.  Can you imagine how they felt, able to go home to their families with money for the first time?"</p> <p>Butcher's company, Imvelo Lodges, runs six lodges, including Nehimba.  Two of them – Gorges Lodge, a series of stone chalets perched dramatically 200 metres above the Zambezi River, and Zambezi Sands, a series of luxury Bedouin tents – are near Victoria Falls.  Inside Hwange National Park, guests can choose between Nehimba, the tented camp at Bomani, the luxurious Camelthorn, protected by shady woodlands, and Imvelo's latest property, Jozibanini.</p> <p>Imvelo works closely with communities.  Camelthorn Lodge, for instance, was built not in the national park, but just outside it, on community lands.  "The rents and revenues go to the local community, not to the central government," Butcher says.  More importantly, a community that once lived off poaching is now able to make a living protecting animals.  Imvelo works with communities in other ways, including supporting schools.  Butcher says that many of Imvelo's guests are keen to find a way to contribute.  One particularly enthusiastic group of dentists comes back every year to host free dental clinics for locals.  "This year, they treated 2500 patients," Butcher says.  "They are bloody rock stars."</p> <p>I meet Butcher at Camelthorn Lodge, at the south-eastern side of the park.    Our transfer from Nehimba to Camelthorn is via another of Imvelo's clever innovations: a refurbished railways car known as the Elephant Express.  As we ride the rails and sip cool drinks, we spot plenty of wildlife, from jackals and giraffe to hyena, and even a rare sable.</p> <p>The rains have also brought an amazing influx of birdlife, from elegant crowned cranes to a range of stork species: saddlebills, redbills and marabou.  I had never thought of storks as predators, but we see them wading through the small lakes that have sprung up everywhere, scooping up frogs, and standing over half-eaten wildebeest carcasses, enthusiastically tearing off strips of sinew.</p> <p>Imvelo's latest camp, Jozibanini, is perched in the southwest corner of Hwange, a place largely unvisited until now.  "We like to open up parts of the park that are remote and neglected," Butcher says, as another way of discouraging poachers.  The landscape around Jozibanini is particularly dry; with sandy dunes and shallow valleys making for easy travel, Butcher plans to introduce another first: mountain-bike safaris.</p> <p>Constructing and running the lodges is only part of Imvelo's operations; the company also pumps water to waterholes when necessary, and sets up hides by many of them, where guests can watch the comings and goings of the animals.  Despite the challenges, Butcher remains enthusiastic about the future.  "I have at least six places where I would like to open lodges," he says.</p> <p>Hwange's diverse landscapes sustain a broad range of wildlife.  "You never know what you will see," Butcher says.  "It could be wild dogs, cheetahs, lions. We don't guarantee any sightings.  If you can give a guarantee, it means you have a fence somewhere.  This place is wild."</p> <p><em>Written by Ute Junker. First appeared on <strong><a href="http://www.Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></a></strong>.</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/travel-tips/2016/02/tips-for-handling-flight-delays/">5 tips for dealing with flight delay</a>s</span></em></strong></p> <p><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/travel-tips/2016/02/photo-shows-german-shepherd-enjoying-flight/">German Shepherd really enjoys plane ride</a></span></em></strong></p> <p><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/travel-tips/2016/02/tips-for-travelling-with-people-that-get-on-your-nerves/">Tips for travelling with people that get on your nerves</a></span></em></strong></p>

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