| Do you think elephants are sad-faced? Actually, they | | | | wildlife reserves. This move gained support from the |
| have a lot reasons to be. Not just the "Dumbo" type of | | | | local farmers, since they were not too happy with the |
| reason but by the way they are being inhumanely | | | | way elephants invaded and destroyed their cultivation |
| treated. Today, they are under the endangered | | | | once the reserves' food provision could not satiate the |
| species list; Asian elephants are classified as | | | | elephant's large appetite. |
| full-fledged endangered while African elephants are | | | | The only problem is, the poachers and the smugglers |
| classified as threatened-endangered. So big and so | | | | found another opportunity to continue with their trade. |
| majestic and yet these gentle creatures are subjected | | | | This time though, the massacred elephants were |
| to cruel treatments very few of us are aware of. | | | | found deep in the forests. The poachers too were well |
| The African Elephants | | | | prepared, since they have set-up camps in the woods. |
| During the 70's up to the late 1980's, the world market's | | | | They came complete with high-powered guns and |
| demand for the elephant's ivory tusk was high. The | | | | rocket launchers in case anyone, including the forest |
| market price commanded as much as $90 per pound | | | | rangers, interfered with their poaching activities. |
| because the smooth texture of these ivory tusks was | | | | If only these gentle giants could run as fast and as |
| very ideal for exquisite artistic creations. They were | | | | agile as their other jungle counterparts could, they |
| used for decorative carvings, religious images, handles, | | | | would have eluded these poachers. Alas, they are big |
| piano keys, jewelry, and other exquisite ideas of | | | | and slow as well as traveled in herds, which made |
| artisanship. Besides, during that era, plastic as an | | | | them easy targets for the poachers. Hence, this is the |
| alternative smooth material was yet unheard of. | | | | plight of the sad-faced African elephants. |
| These ivory tusks are actually the elephant's extra | | | | The Asian Elephants |
| teeth, which it uses for digging deeply into the ground in | | | | The Asian elephants are different. They are |
| search of food to sustain its humongous body. What | | | | endangered not because they are victims of poaching. |
| we see of its tusks is only a 2/3 part while the | | | | In fact, greater value is given to a living Asian elephant |
| remaining part is embedded deeply in the elephant's | | | | since they are literally used as beasts of burden. The |
| skull. Hence, poachers slaughtered these elephants in | | | | value of two ivory tusks is nothing compared to the |
| order to get those precious ivory tusks. In those days, | | | | number of logs it can haul in a day's work. |
| it was common to see herds of elephants killed in | | | | In Burma, elephants haul and pull logs in steep inclines |
| multitudes in the plains of Africa, their carcasses left to | | | | and steadily rising grounds, at times covering a |
| rot in the heat of the African sun for vultures to feast | | | | distance of about two miles. They strained and pulled |
| on. | | | | logs, sometimes crying out in pain since each pull |
| It was only in 1989 when the Convention on | | | | managed to open up the sores on their flanks. As a |
| International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) | | | | reporter empathized while watching the elephant, it |
| unanimously voted to ban the international trade for | | | | was accordingly a scene too difficult to witness. Finally, |
| ivory tusks, that these killings were put to a temporary | | | | after about an hour and a half, the elephant will |
| halt. The government of Kenya finally found a support | | | | complete its task of dragging illegally felled logs. |
| for their local laws in banning the sale of products from | | | | Here in Burma, the elephants are fed, bathed and |
| their wildlife preserves. | | | | cared for as well as trained, scarred and marked. The |
| It was only temporary of course since poachers still | | | | upkeep of a healthy herd of elephants is important for |
| found a way to smuggle the ivory tusks out of the | | | | Burma's logging industry which up to now carries a |
| African countries. As recent as 2006, several | | | | way of life long forgotten from the rest of the other |
| contraband items containing ivory tusks were | | | | regions. |
| confiscated in several Asian key ports and on | | | | As ironic as the life of the African elephants, Asian |
| different occasions. The ivory tusks found were still | | | | elephants found in Burma can be sustained by large |
| fresh with blood and bits of flesh at the time of | | | | forest reserves because Burma is the only place in |
| confiscation. | | | | Asia with the largest remaining wild lands. |
| It could end on a happy note that the African nations | | | | Unfortunately, they live in a country meted with |
| have provided wildlife reserve areas where these | | | | sanctions by the international community, hence, the |
| elephants are protected from poachers. However, as | | | | country is isolated from the rest, and only a few |
| these elephants are huge and with equally huge | | | | organizations can help regarding the issue of elephant |
| appetites, the funding for these reserves could not | | | | conservation. |
| meet the resources needed to maintain the growing | | | | The life of an elephant both in Africa and in Asia is |
| number of elephants. Thus, the government and the | | | | hard. If the two could communicate, one would |
| wildlife officials decided that culling measures be | | | | probably ask the other," Where do you prefer to live? |
| implemented to lessen the demand for wildlife | | | | "In a vast land where you are not allowed to roam too |
| reserves. | | | | far, lest the poachers will kill you or here in an equally |
| Culling is how they call their selective and regulated | | | | vast land where you are cared for in captivity |
| method of deciding which elephant should stay and | | | | because they need you to be strong for tomorrow's |
| which elephant should be killed. The tusks of those | | | | work?" |
| who were culled were again the subject of trade on | | | | Now you know why elephants have sad faces. |
| the grounds that the proceeds will be used to fund the | | | | |