CAN THE ELEPHANT LIVE UNDER THE UMBRELLA? PART II

Sequel to my previous article, you might have reasoned with my facts, and even found answers to my questions. This is a very interesting topic; it needs one to put on his literal lens to deduce from the symbolic factors played here and how it is purported to have affected us, or purporting to affect us, and affecting us. Today, I would consider into some detail, the effects of the elephant and the umbrella on human lives.

A report on the adaptation, habitation and the feeding habits of elephants as captured by Hadley Law journal [hardleylaw.wikispaces.com/file/view/report.doc] indicates that; elephants cause a lot of destruction to farm crops in search for food. They also interrupt high ways in the course of their migration and other urban development.

As elephants devour vegetation they will naturally search elsewhere for food. This can lead to increased conflicts with local farmers and villagers. In some of Africa’s National Parks, elephants roaming can get up to half their food by risky midnight raids into crop fields; this was reported by scientists who tracked elephants through satellite monitoring. During these raids elephants caused major damage to farmer’s crops. In India 8-10 million hectares of crops are destroyed per year. However, farmers have exaggerated the problems by taking over parkland to grow more crops, where they were once free to roam. In Sumatra, reports suggest that elephants are occasionally poisoned by villagers who are angered by repeated crop-raiding and house destruction.  In one instance in 1996 twelve elephants were poisoned in Riau province. In May 2002, 17 elephants were poisoned in North Sumatra, and there have been more incidents of poisoning since these (found in source 1).

An expanding human population has also meant that many migration routes for elephants have also been interrupted by highways and other urban development. This affects the genetic diversity of elephant’s herds, as they are isolated; there is lack of opportunity to mate with unrelated elephants. Inbreeding can cause many problems with elephants – one article stated that death rates of young inbred was far greater than those who were non-inbred.

In the seventies and eighties the ivory trade was at its peak and is considered responsible for a 50% reduction in the global elephant population. It was not only the tusks that were hunted for, but also the elephant skin; which could be used to make belts and bags. In some areas up to three hundred elephants were killed each day, in Uganda 95% of their elephant population was lost in fifteen days! Whilst an international ban on poaching allowed elephant populations to recover; investigations show that elephants in Amboseli are continuing to be killed by bullets, poison arrows and spears. For the first time since the ivory trading period tusks are being removed by unknown persons and sold at market value of approximately 3000/- shillings ($38) per kilo. Unless action is taken fast, the Amboseli elephants will be decimated.

It is not only humans hurting elephants. Elephants are the largest land animals and are responsible for huge amounts of destruction affecting the social lives of many local villagers. In India alone, elephants kill 170 people per year, as well as damaging 10,000 – 15,000 houses.

In contrast there is little I can gather on the demerits or dangers of using an umbrella.

On this note, I put it to you again. CAN AN ELEPHANT LIVE UNDER AN 

UMBRELLA? CAN YOU RELATE IT OUR POLITICAL SCENE TODAY?

YOUR WONDERFUL COMMENTS ARE MUCH APPRECIATED. KINDLY, KEEPING IT COMING THROUGH.