Peter Dennis asked in a recent comment, "how Ely is doing?" Good question. Those of you who have seen the first of the three-part BBC Echo of the Elephants TV series will remember Ely as Echo's fourth calf, the heroic little fellow born in 1990 who overcame a birth defect that crippled his front legs for nearly a week until after innumerable tries he forced himself to stand.

Development blocking corridors

Amboseli National Park is under siege. Burgeoning uncontrolled development in the form of lodges and hotels are springing up like mushrooms from elephant dung, cutting off wildlife corridors from the Park to the surrounding ecosystem.

The map shown here zooms in on the southeastern portion of the Park (boundary shown as blue-green dashed line) and the ecosystem. Some features:

Echo tests a strange smell

Just came back from a flying visit to Amboseli for some admin and logistic work. Went out with Cynthia yesterday morning to try her new little hand-held Panasonic DVD recorder on Echo and the EBs. You can see the video below. The family is looking plump and healthy, despite the prolonged drought (Amboseli has only had half the annual rainfall so far!): it pays to have a wise old matriarch to maximise your survival chances.

Statement by Joyce Poole

I have come a long way to participate in this meeting [DEAT in South Africa]. Likewise, South Africa has come a long way by encouraging this open process around such significant and contentious elephant management issues. The themes we are discussing are important for elephants, yes, but also for human beings who have the responsibility of acting in an ethical manner toward all living creatures.

Open Letter To:

Minister Martinus Van Schalkwyk
Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
South Africa

20 November 2007

POLICY FORMULATION: THE CAPTURE AND TRAINING OF WILD ELEPHANTS

The movie shows pathological stereotypical behaviour of Asian elephants in the Beijing zoo. September 2003. The trunk-tossing, foot-waving and body-swaying movements are typical of the near-psychotic state of intelligent animals confined, deprived, probably chained and possibly abused.

I flew to South Africa on 7/11 to attend a one day meeting on 8/11 organized by the Department of Environment and Tourism (DEAT) to discuss the capture from the wild and training of elephants for elephant back safaris and circuses. The object of the meeting was

I just flew up to Nairobi yesterday morning after an intense period of filming with Echo and her family. Martyn Colbeck has been filming for two months now and is very pleased with what he has been able to get so far. Mike Birkhead, the producer, visited for four days this week, and was also satisfied that everything was proceeding at the right pace.