The Asian Elephant
The Asian Elephant is an endangered species of elephants located in southeastern Asia1,2. The Asian Elephant can be differentiated from elephants found in Africa by their smaller stature and smaller, rounded ears1. Asian Elephants live predominantly in forest environments where grasses are plentiful but are also known to live in grasslands. Asian Elephants generally consume grasses but also consume other plant matter like roots, plant stems, and plant leaves. Asian Elephants are highly social beings and form small groups of elephants lead by the eldest female elephant2. These small groups of elephants occasionally form larger groups, called herds, with other groups of elephants.
Why the Asian Elephant Should Be Protected
The Asian Elephant is a Cultural and Religious Icon
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Ganesha is depicted as possessing the body of a human and the head of an Asian Elephant3. Ganesha is the most worshipped god within the Hindu pantheon4. All forms of worship within the Hindu religion begin with a prayer to Ganesha. Ganesha is also heavily featured in literature and artwork found in Southeastern Asia4. Asian Elephants are heavily featured in the culture and religion of Southeastern Asia and are beings of supreme cultural and religious significance.
Asian Elephants Improve the Stability of Their Habitats
Asian Elephants promote the health and stability of their natural habitats as a result of their eating habits1,2. Asian Elephants spend a majority of their time wandering and grazing on grasses and other foods. The sheer amount of food consumed by Asian Elephants results is a significant amount of waste. This waste contains seeds, which are distributed within the environment as waste is expelled2.
Domesticated Asian Elephants as Beasts of
Watch out dolphins because you may no longer be the most intelligent animals anymore! Elephants, one of our lands largest creatures, are taking your spot! In the video, Elephants Show Cooperation, the article, Elephants Can Lend a Helping Trunk, and the passage, from Elephants Know When They Need a Helping Trunk in a Cooperative Task, the authors illustrate the intelligence of these pachyderms. They all show an experiment that proves this claim. Elephants “join the elite club of social cooperators: chimpanzees, hyenas, rooks, and humans.” Their cognitive ability even surprises the researchers. They not only make wise decisions, but also work well with their companions. All three sources depict the sagacity of these remarkable creatures.
Ganesha, the Elephant-Headed God, is the most worshipped god in the Hindu religion most commonly practiced in India. He represents Wisdom and the distinction between good and bad and is the leader of ganas, also known as beings.
George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” is a short story that not only shows cultural divides and how they affect our actions, but also how that cultural prejudice may also affect other parties, even if, in this story, that other party may only be an elephant. Orwell shows the play for power between the Burmese and the narrator, a white British police-officer. It shows the severe prejudice between the British who had claimed Burma, and the Burmese who held a deep resentment of the British occupation. Three messages, or three themes, from Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” are prejudice, cultural divide, and power.
Each author has the same purpose in writing about the elephant studies and there are many similarities and differences in which the elephants behaved.
The essay “Shooting an Elephant,” was written by George Orwell. Orwell was a British author best known for his essays and novels. In “Shooting an Elephant,” the title essay of his 1950 collection, Orwell is a British Police Officer in Lower Burma. After an elephant comes rampaging through the village in must, killing an Indian man, Orwell is looked upon to take care of the problem. The intense scene causes Orwell to make a crucial decision, reflecting on the vicious imperialism with the military in Burma during this time. The author portrays his feelings through the theme of the narrative with feelings such as, guilt, hate, and pressured.
At Tennessee Elephant Sanctuary, the staff is determined to give elephants their best lives. They take in elephants retired from circus shows and other forms of entertainment. When the elephants get there, most suffer from many different illnesses and behavior problems. Some of the
"Help Stop Rogue Wildlife-killing Agency." Help Stop Rogue Wildlife-killing Agency. Centre for Biological Diversity, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
It is the highest rank that an elephant capturer can attain (Worall). This “power” has never been scientifically studied, but the people of both Burma and Thailand believe that this phenomenon exists. There are not many Khru Ba Yai left, it is said that there are a few still alive in both Burma and Thailand (Worall). These individuals became incredibly important when elephants went into “musth.” Several times a year, bull elephants go into a period called musth, a period of temporary madness. When in this state, bull elephant’s aggressiveness, testosterone levels, and mating drive spikes tremendously (Ogden). Studies have found that bull elephants are flooded with up to ten times as much testosterone as usual causing them to attack other elephants, mahouts, or anything else they may see as a threat (Ogden). In Elephant Run, Nick is given a first-hand look at how horrifying an encounter with a bull elephant in musth can be. “…The bull had uprooted every plant within reach and had plowed the ground around him into soft loam with his heavy tusks. As they approached, he started straining against his ropes in an effort to get to them” (Smith 59). However, something incredible transpired soon after Nick witnessed the roped up and infuriated bull elephant. “The monk stepped closer to the mad bull. He put his hands on one of his tusks and he leaned his old shaved head toward the bull’s ear, as if he were saying something to him” (Smith 61). The bull then relaxed after the monk named ‘Hilltop’ spoke to it. The Khru Ba Yai are a mysterious group with very few numbers in existence. It is a practice that seems utterly impossible but is ingrained in the Burmese culture as reality. The mahout tradition and practice is something so unique and utterly incredible, they risk life and limb to train and work with these magnificent animals. Interestingly enough, the mahouts of Burma actually helped in
The excerpt from Elephants Know When They Need a Helping Trunk is about the exact procedures and results of the same experiment that Elephants Can Lend a Helping Trunk was about. It contains the precise physical dimensions of every part of the test, and detailed explanations of each step that was followed to preform the test. Little to no opinions, quotes, or even conclusions that could be drawn were included, due to the strict, formal, and informational nature of the passage. The author's purpose was purely to explain all parts of the elephant study, and not at all to entertain or persuade.
Cohn, Jeffrey P. "Do Elephants Belong In Zoos?" Bioscience 56.9 (2006): 714-717. Academic Search Premier. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
This ensures plenty of food, shade, and water. The elephant prefers a habitat of mixed woodland and grassland which gives them an opportunity to eat a variety of vegetation.
The "Emaciated Asian Elephant Started Life at Busch Gardens. " N.p., n.d. Web. The Web. The Web. 12 May 2015.
National Geographic did a study on more than 4,500 wild and captive African and Asian elephants. Their study showed that elephants live about 16-18 years in captivity, while in the wild they can live upwards of 50 years. This is a difference too great to be ignored. This further proves the notion that zoos are for humans, not animals. No animal should be subjected to a place where they live thirty or more years less just because humans want them there for
The number of African and Asian elephants in North American zoos is declining as a result of many medical issues. A new disease has recently been discovered that is now hindering elephant’s ability to survive even further. This is a major problem because according to Science Magazine, as of 1997, there are only an estimated 291 Asian elephants and 193 African elephants left in North American zoos. Since this survey was conducted, this number has severely declined. It is now estimated that for every elephant that is born in a zoo another three die.
Moreover, the animals are being chained. Elephants, 60% of the time, are chained with one front leg and one back leg. Although the chain is usually meant to be long enough, it restricts them to move other than taking one or two step and lying down. This contradicts on the fact that elephants enjoy moving around, especially in a g...