SOS: The feral (homeless) Indian Dog

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” Mahatma Gandhi

A feral (homeless) dog in the wilderness of Nubra valley near the mouth of Siachen Glacier. Pic: Azam

Unfortunately a pack of India's frustrated and elite minds in Wildlife Conservation think, preach and are allegedly involved in killing animals silently, more specifically the 'Homeless Indian Dog' which they term as 'feral'.

They believe 'killing' is the ultimate solution.

A 'Feral' animal (from Latin fera, "a wild beast") is an animal living in the wild but descended from domesticated individuals. (Source: Wikipedia)

Note that this animal never came on its own into the wild but DESCENDED FROM DOMESTICATED INDIVIDUALS.

India's wildlife for many years has co-existed with the human population, whether it is centuries old tribal villages or the encroacher habitats in and around protected wildlife areas that tend to increase in several folds every year shrinking the forest cover.

Corruption and lack of political will to address the eradication of human footprints from within India's protected wildlife areas has been a miserable failure.

When a human habitat comes up in the wilderness it does not just comprise of human beings alone.

Domesticated animals or companion animals form an integral part of such habitats.

Enter into any such habitat and you are bound to witness heads of cattle & livestock, packs of dogs, poultry, pigs and other animals.

With a ZERO mechanism of any Government policy on vaccination or sterilization of such animals in and around the fringe areas this has snowballed now into a situation where the population of homeless (feral) dogs has allegedly started attacking the fragile eco system which is directly resulting on the toll of wild animals.

Now the question arises that if the Government has failed to put in a mechanism to address this serious issue, what were the thousands of NGOs & biologists in question doing?

Didn't they anticipate this?

It is a known fact that domesticated animal populations from human settlements in and around wildlife areas do increase the potential for pathogen transmission into wild animals.

A recent study last year by the 'Wildlife Vets International' has shown that Tigers in the Wild are at risk from getting infected with CDV (Canine Distemper Virus) from homeless dogs.

No sooner did I get to read of this new finding, my fear for the worst that a knee jerk reaction to this by India's wildlife stakeholders could call for mass CULLING of the dogs got me into the act of writing out to the WVI (Wildlife Vets International) and seek their opinion to solving this problem.

WVI was prompt to respond immediately.

In their response email dated 13th June' 2013, Olivia Walter of WVI (Wildlife Vets International) had this to say:

"our current idea is to vaccinate dogs in and around national parks to create a protective barrier to the disease.

Culling the dogs would create a vacuum in which other dogs would arrive, potentially with new diseases that we hadn't seen in the area.
We would also like to neuter the dogs in some way - either surgically or with a newly developed vaccine. This would reduce the number of new dogs entering the area."

Belinda Wright, eminent leader for Asia's wildlife conservation and Executive Director, Wildlife Protection Society of India in her response says, "There are many government departments and projects that this could come under, and NGOs working on animal welfare issues … There must be someone out there who can make it happen".

Considering the fact that most of the organisations working with wildlife face a universal funding problem and are too busy combating poaching and habitat destruction to add disease threat to their list, irrespective of whether they think it is a problem, this and issues such as these have to be a COLLECTIVE approach.

To start with one solution that Olivia suggests is: "The one thing that would be good is to ensure that all rabies vaccination clinics are vaccinating against distemper at the same time. If you are able to help in that direction, that would be a start!

We are a small charity that provides expertise to organisations already working on the ground.

We aren't working much in India at the moment but have entered into discussion with Wildlife Institute of India."

Now at a time when a faraway small charity organisation that cares for Indian Tigers has reached out to the Wildlife Institute of India, isn't there something positive that collectively Indian charity organisations working both for wildlife and urban animals can do?

What about approaching NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority) and suggesting that they seek advice from WVI on how to tackle this problem?

What about the Wildlife NGOs and wildlife biologists coordinating with the WII to figure out how best they could contribute on this?

What about approaching the AWBI (Animal Welfare Board of India) and suggesting that they generate funds for massive vaccination drive and include homeless animals of wild areas in their policy as well?

There is a lot this country can do than just dance to the tunes of a handful of misguided short cut, knee jerk solution savvy conservationists who have announced a WAR on these homeless (feral) animals by propagating their CULL which is being allegedly on in large numbers.

I appeal to all those concerned, act together and use the beautiful mind that each one has been blessed with and you certainly shall find solutions.

A Rhino deprived of its horn is no longer a Rhino

She has reared 15 orphaned Black Rhinos and more than 150 Elephants, and is the first person in the world to perfect a suitable milk formula and the husbandry necessary to hand rear the orphaned Black Rhino calves, her expertise in this field has saved many others elsewhere in Africa.
Has trained several Veterinarians and animal people across the world and Indian organisations as too many of whom are presently engaged on the ground for the conservation and treatment of Assam's wildlife which includes the wild population of Great Indian Rhinoceros and Elephants in Assam.
A living legend having worked intimately with Rhinos and Elephants in the wild for 56 years, Dr.Dame Daphne Sheldrick DBE, has come out to voice strongly for the helpless Rhinos of Assam whose fate is hanging in the hands of the state Government's  intention to launch a pilot project of dehorning (trimming) rhinos.
Despite being hectically busy due to the current escalation in the poaching of both Elephants and Rhinos in Kenya, (with some 76 orphaned elephants still Keeper Dependent) and still recovering from a pinched nerve in the neck which has rendered her dysfunctional,  Daphne who has always been a keen observer of wildlife conservation & crimes in Assam  and has time and again been advising the authorities concerned on the various issues, has now come out on a vehement defense against the proposed dehorning of Rhinos in the state. She says:

"Regarding the proposal to dehorn the Rhinos in Assam, in my opinion this would be disastrous.   If evolution has not removed the horn from rhinos over millennia, it surely means that the horns are essential to their existence and survival.   Dehorning a rhino is emasculating it, depriving it of its means of defense and part of their anatomy upon which they devote an enormous amount of time, shaping, sharpening etc.   It is their identity.   Removing it will dent their confidence to such an  extent that a dehorned Bull rhino will never be confident and fertile to breed.
A Rhino deprived of its horn is no longer a Rhino.
I personally am dead against such a move and having hand-reared some 15 orphaned rhinos, I do know them intimately." 

(Unaware of a dark future that may rob her of its horn as an adult, a baby rhino calf grazes at the Kaziranga National Park, Assam. Pic: Azam)

The desperate call to dehorn Assam's rhinos has also seen several other experts voicing their concern. 

Belinda Wright OBE, Executive Director of the Wildlife Protection Society of India, India's leading wildlife crusader who has been battling wildlife crime on the ground for several years does feel that the expert committee which the Government of Assam has set up to study the pros and cons of de-horning rhinos as a measure to curb poaching, will do a thorough job. However her personal opinion about dehorning is: 

"Personally, I am against the de-horning of wild rhinos.
Apart from the risks involved to the animal, this is not an effective way to curb poaching, whereas intelligence-led enforcment is. Rhino poachers are specialised hunters, as are the specialised traders of rhino horns, and it is not an insurmountable problem for dedicated, well-trained enforcement teams to track down the worst offenders that operate in the four rhino habitats of Assam - Kaziranga, Pobitora, Manas, and Orang. This is what is needed, rather than a temporary band-aid effort of "trimming" rhino horns, which will only grow back again in a few months. We should also remember that tranquilising a rhino, in order to cut its horn, is not without risks to the animal. If excellent protection measures are put into place and sustained, including intelligence-led enforcement and a network of informers, this will be the best long-term investment that Assam could make to preserve it's magnificent natural heritage. The State must send out a clear message that rhino poaching will not be tolerated, under any circumstances. The motivation for poachers is huge, and this must be matched by the motivation of the people of Assam to protect their rhinos for future generations. This is an animal that came back from the brink of disaster a hundred years ago, and there is no reason why this level of protection cannot be achieved again.
An essential tool of good enforcement and intelligence-gathering is the thorough investigation of past rhino poaching cases. Every lead, every detail and in particular every person known to have been involved in rhino poaching should be exhaustively investigated and monitored. And it goes without saying that no amount of enforcement will be an effective deterrent against rhino poaching unless this is complimented by swift action against offenders in the courts. We need solid case documentation and appropriate convictions to stem these crimes."

Merritt Clifton, senior investigative reporter and editor of 'Animal People' has been closely following up issues involving Rhino conservation across the globe. He has also spent years observing the fate of dehorned Rhinos in the African continent. In his personal opinion:

"Historically this (dehorning) has just been a pretext for corrupt officials to get control of rhino horn & sell it,  before poachers can.
As dehorning apparently reduces rhino breeding activity, it can be counter-productive when the goal is to rebuild a depleted population.
I can tell you that I think dehorning is just another way to not solve the poaching problem." 

Merritt also pointed out the fact that allowing private rhino ranchers to dehorn their rhinos in South Africa in 2010 immediately preceded a major escalation of poaching ('Fears of Canned Rhino Hunting'), and why Rhino dehorning project in Zimbabwe had to stop (Zimbabwe: Rhino Dehorning Stopped). 

Johnny Rodriguez, who heads the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, which has done more to keep wildlife alive during the past 15 years than every other NGO in the nation favors poisoning rhino horn to discourage use although he does not favour dehorning.
In his message, Johnny writes:

"I don't believe trimming or dehorning the rhinos is the best way forward. In Zimbabwe, we have dehorned rhinos and they are still killed by poachers. They shoot the dehorned rhinos and dig out the small stump of horn left after the dehorning. If they are poaching at night, they can't tell if the rhino has been dehorned or not until they have shot it dead so what is the point? Besides that, rhinos need their horns for feeding, protection and for lifting their young.
I believe the best thing to do is to inject pesticide into the horn. This has been tried in South Africa. The pesticide doesn't harm the rhino but if a human consumes it, it can make them very ill or even kill them. Sign boards can be erected warning poachers that the horns are poisoned and I believe this will detract them." 

The Born Free Foundation, a dynamic international wildlife charity, devoted to compassionate conservation and animal welfare has also come out in defense of the Assam Rhino Rhinos.
Gabriel Fava, Programmes Officer of Born Free has forwarded the following message which was sent to the Government of Assam:

"In the wake of the recent upsurge in rhino poaching in both Asia and Africa, dehorning has been presented as a potential poaching deterrent. The Born Free Foundation urges the government of Assam to exercise extreme caution in its consideration of dehorning as a solution to rhino poaching, as serious concerns continue to dominate the debate over the validity of this management technique.

These include the extent to which dehorning actually deters poachers, given the stub and re-growth value; and the concern that poaching would simply be displaced rather than eliminated, with additional pressure being placed on areas which do not institute dehorning programmes. Born Free is also aware of the high financial and animal welfare costs of regularly locating, and tranquilizing rhinos for horn removal; and the poor understanding and dearth of data on the impacts of dehorning on the individual animal.

At Born Free we think that a more effective approach to curb rhino poaching should focus efforts on improving field protection, strengthening law enforcement through closer local and interstate collaboration between relevant government agencies; supporting existing initiatives and commitments (eg. CITES Decisions http://www.cites.org/eng/dec/valid16/217 ); and bringing to bear all possible diplomatic pressure so that rhino horn consumer countries institute comprehensive demand reduction strategies and target illegal trade networks."

The rhino dehorning issue is a highly complex and controversial one about which not enough is known or understood by the State of Assam or those experts who have coined this idea.
More research and a better understanding of the various components and interrelated nature of this issue was needed.
This was an initiative in the interest of the Rhino to gather opinions from people who have spent a lifetime with Rhinos and have dealt with the issue of Rhino dehorning.

I firmly believe in what the experts above have said, indeed "A Rhino deprived of its horn is no longer a Rhino".

So let the Rhino stay a Rhino forever. Gear up your best resources Government of Assam and if the heart of your political will does actually bleed for the Rhinos, I am sure you can protect it without robbing its horn.

Please do write to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Assam (pccf.wl.assam@gmail.com) endorsing the views of the dignified experts above and be a voice for the beleaguered Rhino of Assam.

Save that tiger, kill this tiger !

The Royal Bengal Tiger or the Indian Tiger which is the most endangered VVIP of this country has found a new enemy for its life.

No, not the odd poacher this time, it is the same celebrated so called experts in Tigers who wanted to save the tiger from the hands of the poacher while it was young and sexy, but now want it eliminated as the tiger turns a frail veteran.

India is a country where the Tiger is not only protected by the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 or the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1962, but as per the article 51A(g) of the Indian Constitution Fundamental duties it is the duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life, and to have compassion for living creatures.

But of late an old Tiger that had killed a few humans but was captured alive is facing an uncertain future. A section of celebrated experts feel that instead of capturing the animal it should have been swiftly killed.

"We can't be sentimental about this. Our objective is to save the tiger as a species, not individual tigers," Karanth, director for science (Asia) at the Wildlife Conservation Society, told TOI."

(http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Maneaters-must-be-swiftly-killed/articleshow/27098086.cms)

Mr. Karanth, who perhaps is referring to the Animal Rights & Animal Welfare people when he uses the word 'sentimental' fails to see that the Indian Constitution was not framed by animal welfarists instead it is the sensibilities of people such as our father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi (Bapu) who preached, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

In India we don't cull elephants just because their population has increased (much due to the shrinkage of forest cover, thanks to us humans) unlike countries such as South Africa.

Every animal or human being is supposed to get respect in India even if the animal is made ready for a ritual sacrifice.

Therefore veteran experts like Mr. Karanth (with due respect to their contributions towards conservation) should not make such statements and if at all they are actually concerned about 'SAVING THE TIGER' and not just running an industry of it, then they MUST work on a 'retirement policy' for animals. At least begin with the animal that is the VVIP- The Veteran Tiger.

Baby Tragedy & the Steel Monster

Hello friends,

I am 'Baby Tragedy'.

This name was given to me by the lovely and caring mother of all elephants Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick.

She wanted me to share the story of my short journey to this world so that you good people out there can help me fight the battle against 'Steel Monsters' who have been making tragedies of our lives.

I was in my mother's womb sleeping when she was knocked down by a powerful 'Steel Monster' that night, forcing me to eject into this world prematurely.

The 'Steel Monster' then killed my aunt who was a little ahead.

The 'Steel Monster' supposed to be moving at only 20kmph in that elephant corridor which we used to transit between the Deepor Beel, Assam's lone Ramsar site wetland and the adjoining forests.

But see below the bolts in the track (more than seven of them) had bend down to almost 45 degrees due to the impact my mother was knocked down.

As soon as I was born my mom who was left seriously injured with a hip fracture dragged herself to the adjoining forest and was calling me from the hill. I was too weak to to walk and so the people came and wanted to help me reunite with mummy. But they came too late 6 hrs after the incident happened and then they were also shouting, making noise that scared both mommy and me. They wanted to help me but sadly they did not know how to.

I could barely see my mom in the jungle but her cries everyone could hear. She was so much in pain.

I was then tied with a rope and whisked away in a rickshaw to the Assam State Zoo which became my home. That was last I saw mom.

The ride was so bumpy and traumatic, I kept falling in that vehicle which served as a makeshift ambulance.

My aunt who lay dead was paid tributes by the local people who lighted incense sticks and prayed.

We are also respected in India as Gods you know.

After the tributes, another 'Steel Monster' (not the one that kills) came and dug a grave for aunt. She was buried after a postmortem. They do this to find out how she was killed.

Meanwhile my mommy was left unattended deep in the jungles. Many had forgotten about her and thought she was fine. But in a few days her hip injury turned worse and she had to hit the ground near 'Sattargaon' village.

The people of the village were so good, they all came out including children to try and help mommy.

But mommy was too weak to get up, so they made glasses of bamboo stem and carried water and banana plants for her.

The villagers informed some good animal people who put pressure within the authorities and the best Veterinarian was sent to see mommy. He found out that mommy would not recover and advised that she be put to sleep.

Meanwhile, I was loosing my battle for survival. I tried my best but just could not make it.

And less than a month after I was born, I too followed my mommy and left the world. I died of enteritis.

Dear friends,

that was my story- Baby Tragedy's true story.

We elephants are stronger that humans, but we do not have a voice as powerful as yours.

If my story has moved you then please do voice for me and my family.

Please share this with all your know.

Please make sure that the 'Steel Monsters' do not kill us any more.

Please write to the 'Steel Monster' guardians and do your best.

I know you will,


love,

Baby Tragedy.

___

Indian Railways Feedback Form: https://www.indianrailways.gov.in/indianrailway/common/feedbackForm.seam

Indian Railways Complaints & Suggestions: http://customercare.indianrailways.gov.in/criscm/common/complaint_registration.seam;jsessionid=C5C1A5743718416B788CECF0E05F4976.cms109

Skins shall not RIP

one of the billion fur stores across the world. Pic: azam

Suddenly the news media, facebook and twitter updates of many animal people was abuzz with a news item where PETA- the organisation better known for its hardcore animal rights activism was found playing Santa to needy and destitute human beings.


Donations to the needy, that's a noble cause?


Well, yes indeed it is. But not when you donate stuff that you would not like to wear or endorse yourself with, neither would the hundreds of employees at PETA or the millions of their members would volunteer to.


So what exactly are they donating?


Its is recycled FUR- skin of animals most of which is ripped off even when the animal is alive.


Is it then 'unethical' to be donating recycled FUR among the poor, isn't it much better than just throwing it off?


Well if you ask the receiver, he wont mind. He is happy and thankful because he is in need.


But FUR is not just an ordinary piece of clothing.
It is a wildlife product and could well invite a penalty or imprisonment or both in many countries if found in possession. PETA's actions can send a wrong signal to the ethics of animal protection & conservation of wildlife.


If it is acceptable to donate animal products like animal fur in USA, is it acceptable to donate elephant ivory, rhino horn, tiger skins, mongoose pelts and deer antlers in India and Asia?


I come from northeast India where a majority of the population in this region is below poverty level, their economic condition is far worse compared to the homeless in the US. Some of their ancestors were head hunters, not anymore but animals they do hunt. Wildlife they do kill. Since India's independence the Wildlife Protection Act is applicable to each of these places, on both those with homes and also the homeless. Despite that wildlife is at risk, animals are killed including the largest mammal on earth, not for tusks alone but also for meat.
One elephant's flesh can feed a village and many villages for days.
There have been several instances when elephants were found dead, poachers managed to escape.
Should the PETA formula apply to these people?
The elephant is dead, how about donating it among the villagers?


Indeed, it has been a longstanding debate at CITES regarding what to do with stockpiles of wildlife products.
If giving away fur costs is acceptable, why not also sell and distribute wildlife stockpiles and other wildlife and animal stock?


It might also be acceptable then to give away shahtoosh shawls obtained by killing Tibetan Antelope.
It can be justified on the same grounds to distribute meat to poor people as is the norm in religious festivals.
Where does one draw the line on what is acceptable for usage of animal products?
After all, some of us are very vocal in opposing sustainable use.


Or maybe the real difference and the acceptability threshold lies in the varying standards laid down in  the West and those employed in the East.
Donating furs is acceptable in US for homeless people but doing the same would amount to outrage in India.
Imagine what would be the reaction in the West if people started distributing their old shikar trophies of tigers and lions in India.

Many of us do not talk about these issues because we have our purse strings tied to many of the big groups that indulge in such antics. Apathy comes together with ignorance and vested interests.

Comments and opinions invited.

__________________

PETA Gives Away Fur Coats To Homeless

Group Says Those Without Are Only Ones Who Need Them

Read more: http://www.wlwt.com/news/29953256/detail.html#ixzz1g9gyewFq

The Great Indian Elephant Cull

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culling ):

"Culling is the process of removing animals from a group based on specific criteria. This is done in order to either reinforce certain desirable characteristics or to remove certain undesirable characteristics from the group. For livestock and wildlife, the process of culling usually implies the killing of animals with undesirable characteristics."

If the above definition of 'Culling' is to be followed then I am afraid 'ELEPHANT CULLING' is already in full swing slowly but steadily all over India.

Yes, one may argue that and brush it aside as 'stray incidents' of 'human elephant conflict' or 'poaching' since the official announcement of 'Elephant Culling' has not been declared by the Indian Government.

But hang on, is the Indian Government taking any actions on the growing incidents of 'brutal massacres' of the Jumbos?

On papers, Yes perhaps.

In reality a simple 'NO".

They just do not have the 'WILLPOWER' to save/ protect this mammal from being eliminated in this Country.

Political pressure from various corners seems to be only working in favour of the 'Humans' here.

More and more people are pumped inside protected wildlife habitats to convert jungles into paddy fields.

A Local MLA goes full blast spraying bullets from AK-47 on a wild herd in Assam and goes on record in the media for what he does.

The same MLA is later arrested for flouting more wildlife laws only to be out fished out by his lawyers scratch free.

Same goes with the BIGGEST terrorist in Wildlife Crime, Sansar Chand who has recently been granted BAIL by the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India.

Wonder what he is planning next?

Cement factories and Stone quarries are welcomed in many parts of the Country inside protected areas and even elephant corridors.

Trains are crushing herds into pieces of meat. Yes meat because now its not the animal carcass that the forest department recovers from the site of any so called 'conflict death', instead there have been many reported incidents of people feasting on the kill of the elephants after bringing it down.

In fact in a recent incident where an elephant accidental consumed 'urea' and fell unconscious, a section of the public went on to cut its ear and chop off its tail before the elephant regained conciousness.

High tension live electric cables are laid in a very organised manner and this trend is ON for quite many years.

And in the Northeast of India you have another unique issue.

The issue of insurgency, militancy and terrorism which is driving the Government nuts.

They are entering into dialogues after dialogues with these groups some of whom are under a 'ceasefire' but with the condition of allowing them the liberty to remain in the jungles till the talks are over.

Now, what they do inside the jungles is anybody's guess.

So the 1st BIG question that one may ask is that:

Is there space for elephants in India?

And the answer is NO.

Then in that case what should the Government do in order to protect the citizens from the elephants, and cut down their population?

If the Government allowed the 'Culling' of elephants it will face an ARMY of wildlife respecting people who will go all the way to oppose the same, also considering the Wildlife Protection Act, it may not be easy to get that done.

The next best and simple option is to just sit and watch.

Now the 2nd BIG question that I would ask is that:

Do we wait for the official word on 'Elephant Culling' from the Government's mouth and we take action, or is it time to pick up the many 'stray incidents' of elephant massacres and murders across the nation and DEMAND ACTION NOW?

We certainly are not waiting for the last Tiger in the Wild to vanish before the focus shifts into the Jumbos, or are we?

Azam Siddiqui

____________________

CULL UPDATES (check weblinks below):


Wild jumbo perishes at Bhutiachang tea estate

http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=may2910/state06

Elephant electrocuted in Udalguri district, again

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090930/jsp/northeast/story_11553827.jsp

threatened moms- nowhere to run !

It wasn't the most violent Human Elephant conflict I had ever seen or heard of.

Instead it was more of a crisis situation that had developed between the villagers of Chandrapur area in the outskirts of Guwahati. A herd of 30 odd elephants had descended from the nearby Amchang forests where their habitat had been robbed of by human settlers and the wildlife mafia.

After some damage to the standing paddy crop and pulling down a few jackfruit, the people cornered the herd to a bush within the croplands. Although no fire arms, crackers or arrows were aimed at the jumbos, yet with the hooting and yelling the herd was moving back and forwards seemed disturbed and did make a couple of attempts to charge at the men. On a closer observation I saw a baby ellie holding on to its mom, surrounded by the other members of the herd.

Fearing that things could get worse if the threatened dominant mother or the matriarch decide to take on. I appeal them to calm down. As the voices dimmed and the disturbed ellies seemed relaxed and had started feeding, I dared slowly walk towards them hiding behind the bush to get a better shot with my cam.

The camera rolls for a couple of minutes as I film each member of the herd-

the baby, the mother, few young ones, the tusker . . . . .

then suddenly the mother charges on me like a flash of lightning from about 50 meters away. Lucky I saw her from the corner my left eye, right being engaged in filming the tusker. The cam rolling and my heart racing out, I turn around and run for my life. I hear a few screams of the people trying to scare the elephant who was obviously running much faster than I could.

“run !!! Its still charging”, yells a villager from somewhere. It is not easy sprinting in a bush and no sooner did I realise this I was on the ground. Turning over my shoulder I see the giant mammal shake her head down at me for a second and the quietly return to her baby.

After a brief pause numbed by the shock I do manage to rise up, pick my cam and slide out of the conflict area with a dozen of Whys on my mind.

The question most on priority being, just why did the elephant have to stop when it almost got me? She certainly did not wait to answer my question but instead taught me a very BIG lesson in life.

To never underestimate the power of a ‘threatened mother’.

My training in ‘Orphaned Elephant Management’ of playing surrogate mother to the orphaned ellies at the ‘David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’ in Kenya would certainly not have been complete without this practical field experience of confronting this real threatened mother.

With habitats shrinking and crisis snowballing into conflicts, one wonders just how far these mothers would be allowed to run for their dependent young ones before the two legged monsters corner them again.

In the pic above: Trunks rise to explore the presence of predators.