Asian Elephants in Kerala

For those interested is supporting the work of strenthening legal protection for Kerala’s Asian Elephants, please read the following notice of an upcoming ecological conference scheduled in Kerala for Mid December. Contact details and relevant website for more details are posted below. 

CALL FOR PAPERS: Announcing Major Kerala, India Ecology Conference 

Dr. Glen Barry of Ecological Internet to serve as Academic Convener, and present on the global biodiversity, ecosystem and biosphere imperatives for biocentric land planning and strengthened legal protections for Kerala's Asian elephants - and their corridors, particularly the Sigur plateau - as an umbrella species for other ecological values. 

September 19, 2012 

By Forests,org, a Project of Ecological Internet 

Dear Forest Protection Colleagues: 

I am pleased to announce a major international conference on conservation of India's forests, wild life, and ecology; and to issue a call for academic papers and attendance. The conference will occur in mid-December, 2012, in Kerala, India, located in the Western Ghats, which is known for its lush ecosystems, tremendous biodiversity - including viable Asian elephant populations - and high levels of human development, as well as human encroachment upon these vital ecosystems. Noted ecologist Dr. Madhav Gadgil, author of the important and controversial Kerala ecological land sensitivity designations, as well as Dr. V. S. Vijayan, Chairman of Salim Ali Foundation and Former Chairman of Kerala Bio-Diversity, have indicated they will be participating in the conference. 

The Kerala Eco Conference will emphasize global aspects of Kerala's ecological sustainability issues, placing issues of Western Ghats' broad environmental challenges within the larger international perspective of climate change, mass extinction, loss of ecosystem services, international environment law, landscape planning, and land use laws and policy. It is desired that various countries' practices as to protection of their hills and mountains' terrestrial ecology, and protecting watershed functionality and wildlife corridors in their countries, can provide an essential global view to the proceedings. An emphasis will be upon biocentric planning and law for India's ecology, people, elephants and other biodiversity, and their future together. 

Ecological Internet has been active in campaigning to protect critical elephant corridors in Kerala since 2006, achieving stunning success, including the relocation of a proposed Neutrino laboratory from prime elephant corridor habitat. On this basis, I have been asked to act as academic convener and coordinator for the conference, and will be presenting a paper which examines the importance of ecological conservation in the Western Ghats to global climate and ecological sustainability. I will highlight the importance of biocentric landscape planning to ensure adequate elephant habitat and corridors – particularly in the Sigur Plateau – using elephants as an umbrella species to secure ecosystems, biodiversity, water and future sustainable development potential. 

I ask that you please circulate the conference announcement (below) widely – particularly to your environmental law and academic ecology colleagues and departments around the world – as this will truly be an international affair. I would love to make your acquaintance there personally, as we work together to protect one of the most special natural ecosystems on Earth. 

Please contact the conference organizer Nagaraj Narayanan at nagaraj@keralalawacademy.org or myself Dr. Glen Barry, Ecological Internet, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org with any questions. I hope to see you soon in India's special evergreen city! 

Warm regards, for Earth, 

Dr. Glen Barry 

Political Ecological and President, Ecological Internet 

P.S. Within the next few days additional conference materials will be made available at http://KeralaEcoConference.org/ 

Elephant Treatment

Since a recent posting; more incidents concerning stressed, mistreated elephants are being recorded. In all, 46 people (41 mahouts and five others, including two women) were killed by captive elephants in Kerala in 2006. In this respect this April 8th at Thrissur District, Kerala, an elephant ran amok killing its mahout (handler) and injuring 24 others during an elephant show at a school.

As a result of the Thrissur incident, the Kerala High Court has asked the Kerala State Government to strictly enforce Captive Elephants Management and Maintenance Rules 2003. It has also directed that elephants should not be made to participate in religious processions between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

The life elephants should be living

Animal rights groups say the increasing number of mahouts being killed by elephants in Kerala indicates serious flaws in captive elephant management and maintenance.

Animal rights activists allege that elephants are made to walk long distances on tarred roads and stand unendingly on concrete surfaces, in violation of Section 12 of a Government Order (No. 12/2003/F&WLD). Which results in most elephants reportedly have pockets of infection under their feet or toenails. Feet are the gauge of an elephant's overall health.

Tiruvannamalai Elephants

Well what is happening in Kerala is also happening here at Tiruvannamalai. Currently we only have the one local elephant, Rukku, but during festivals, particularly Karthigai, many handlers bring their elephants to Tiruvannamalai to enjoy the 'rich pickings' of pilgrims and visitors. At that time the elephants are made to constantly stand on the side of busy highways giving blessings with their trunks to a never ending line of pilgrims. Sadly this is also the daily grind of Rukku's lonely life at the Temple where she is forced to remain motionless on granite stones for hours on end, blessing interminable lines of pilgrims.

News on Rukku's Health

Rukku has recently been diagnosed for the eye ailment, keratitis by experts from Madras Veterinary College. An ophthalmic surgeon and Wild Life Sciences professor, both from Madras Veterinary College and two other veterinarians checked Rukku on Tuesday, April 10th.

Recent photo of Rukku

Superficial keratitis involves the superficial layers of the cornea. After healing, this form of keratitis does not generally leave a scar. However deep keratitis involves deeper layers of the cornea. Upon healing, a scar remains that impairs vision if on or near the visual axis.

Dear Rukku we hope you get better quickly.