2014-12-24 - Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
The Interpol has arrested Kenyan businessman Feisal Ali Mohamed over trafficking of ivory. Mohamed was tracked down to Tanzania following a warrant of arrest issued against him in October 2014. The organisation had posted Mohamed’s picture and details on its website saying he is wanted for dealing with ivory.
2014-11-20 - Phuket, Thailand.
The bludgeoning to death of two elephant handlers over just three days this week in separate incidents shows how real the risk is any time that male elephants are used in the tourism industry. Two Russian tourists on board one of the out-of-control elephants were fortunate to escape injury or death.
2014-11-06 - San Lorenzo, United States.
An Argentine man digging a well in his yard struck fossils believed to be the bones of a 10,000-year-old mastodon, an extinct mammal. San Lorenzo is located in the Pampas lowlands where other mastodons—part of the elephant family—have been discovered, several of which are on display at the history museum.
2014-09-17 - Dublin, Ireland. Freya Drohan
Siobhan Cullen, from Balgriffin in Co Dublin, suggested the name Kavi, an Indian word which means poet or wise man, for the bull calf. Katie Bush, from Malahide in Co Dublin, won the honour of naming the second calf Ashoka, born in August, after one of India’s greatest emperors.
2014-09-13 - Azle, United States.
Research proposals to conduct policy or management related projects (e.g. those directly mitigating human-elephant conflict or combating poaching) will not be considered. Additionally, research on ex situ elephants will not be considered unless it is a minor portion of a longer-term, in situ study. Studies involving a laboratory component (e.g., genetic or endocrine) are welcomed, but the emphasis should be on the field work.
2014-09-11 - Whipsnade, United Kingdom.
This hands on course will be held September 11./12., 2014 and aims to teach the basics in elephant reproduction management. During the practical session, each participant will practice transrectal ultrasound on trained Asian elephants in different reproductive stages. Furthermore, basic set ups for semen collection and AI will be demonstrated.
2014-09-11 - Hope, United States.
The Hope Elephants board of directors announced late Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 10, that Rosie and Opal will return to Oklahoma to the Endangered Ark Foundation, where they had lived before coming to Maine two years ago. The board has also established a Jim Laurita Fund. “The move back there is not necessarily a permanent move,” said Hope Elephants spokesman Andrew Stewart, this evening. “In the interim, we will make plans for the future and how best to move forward.”
2014-09-10 - Hope, United States.
Veterinarian Dr. Jim Laurita, 56, was found dead in the barn of Hope Elephants on Tuesday morning, the Portland Press Herald reports. Police first believed he had fallen and hit his head on a cement floor, but an afternoon autopsy determined that the cause of death was asphyxiation and fractures from chest compressions.
2014-09-10 - Thiruvananthapuram, India.
The death of a two-year-old elephant in Wayanad forest in Kerala is suspected to be due to herpes, a deadly infectious disease. Samples of the male calf´s carcass has been sent to Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences College in Pookkot in Wayanad for analysis and confirmation to ascertain if herpes virus was the cause of the death, a senior faculty of the college said.
2014-09-10 - , United States. Wilkie, Davison, Kerr, Stidworthy, Redrobe, Steinbach, Dastjerdi, Denk
Here, we report the pathological characteristics of the first fatality linked to EEHV5 infection, and describe the complete viral DNA sequence. Gross post-mortem and histological findings were indistinguishable from lethal cases previously attributed to other EEHV genotypes, and the presence of characteristic herpesviral inclusions in capillary endothelial cells at several sites was consistent with the diagnosis of acute EEHV infection.
2014-09-10 - MARRUPA, Mozambique.
Six suspected poachers were arrested in Marrupa on Sunday in a joint operation conducted by the Mecula District police, Luwire scouts and Niassa National Reserve Wildlife Conservation Society scouts. The arrests were the result of a 10-month investigation informed by crucial on-the-ground intelligence about their activities in the Niassa National Reserve, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society, based in New York City. The Wildlife Conservation Society has been co-managing the Niassa Nat...
2014-09-08 - Bhopal, India.
Madhya Pradesh forest department would soon be getting nine elephants from their Karnataka counterpart to expand its almost 50-strong pachyderm population used for monitoring tigers and patrolling in the various tiger reserves in the state, official said on Sunday.
2014-08-28 - Bangkok, Thailand.
The annual tournament, now in its thirteenth year, will take place at the Siam Polo Park at VR Sports Club in Bangkok between 28-31 August 2014.
2014-08-01 - Kandy, Sri Lanka.
The most popular and colourful festival in Sri Lanka, Kandy Perahera is celebrated once a year usually in August. Dates for Kandy Perahera 2014 will be from 01st to the 11th of August 2014.
2014-06-27 - Riau, Indonesia.
A wild Sumatran elephant was found dead in a village in Riau, allegedly hunted and killed for its tusks, according to Antara. The elephant was found dead in Lubuk Kembang Bunga village in Pelalawan district last week. The elephant was part of a herd from Tesso Nilo National Park (TNTN). This case adds to the long list of elephant deaths in Riau due to hunting and conflict with humans. Forty-five elephants have died in Sumatra since 2012.
2014-06-25 - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Vietnam’s customs officers at Tan Son Nhat International Airport discovered Sunday 39 African elephant tusks and about 100 ivory handicrafts worth over US$188,000 hidden in a package allegedly shipped from Africa. Customs officers have seized all the tusks and ivory artifacts, worth VND4 billion ($188,271), for investigation.
2014-06-17 - Bekesbourne, United Kingdom.
Keepers at Howletts Wild Animal Park, one of Kent’s most popular visitor attractions, are celebrating the birth of an adorable baby elephant. Born just over a week ago, the calf and her mother Tammi are both reported to be doing well.
2014-06-16 - Greenville, United States.
Joni (Joy), a beloved 44-year-old African elephant at the Greenville Zoo, died while en route to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo which was to have been her new home, zoo officials said Sunday. She was being transported because both zoos believed she would receive better geriatric care and have more opportunities for socialization at her new home in Colorado Springs.
2014-06-12 - Bewdley, United Kingdom.
The first elephant born at West Midlands Safari Park has been named Sutton after cancer fundraiser Stephen Sutton. The names ´Stephen´ or ´Sutton´ were frontrunners in a competition to name the male which was born on 5 May.
2014-06-09 - Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Sambo the elephant will not be allowed to return to work in Phnom Penh, because both City Hall and the Forestry Administration oppose the idea, the FA’s director-general said yesterday. The 54-year-old Sambo left the city in 2012 after decades of entertaining and giving rides to tourists at Wat Phnom, a job that left her painfully lame and in need of serious rehabilitation.
2014-06-09 - Narok, Kenya.
Scientists who have been carrying wildlife census in Maasai Mara Game Reserve have stumbled on 117 fresh and old elephant carcasses. The elephants, whose tusks were missing, may have been killed by poachers or the local community in human-wildlife conflicts. Last month, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) acting Director General William Kiprono said elephant population in the Mara was declining at an alarming rate and called on residents to help security agencies reverse the trend.
2014-06-07 - Mombasa, Kenya.
Kenyan authorities seized 228 whole elephant tusks and 74 others in pieces as they were being packed for export in the port city of Mombasa, police and wildlife officials said. Police arrested one suspect and were searching for another who escaped, Marwa said, noting that the suspect in custody tried to bribe police officers by offering them 5 million shillings ($57,100).
2014-06-05 - Zurich, Switzerland.
The 11,000-square-metre park features six times the space of the previous enclosure and six water basins for the elephants to swim in. Visitors can get an aquarium view of them under the water in one of the basins, which has a glass wall. The cost of the elephant park was financed through foundation grants, legacies and sums donated by 5,500 individuals.
2014-06-01 - Yangon, Myanmar.
"We arrested poachers in 34 cases of elephant slayings last year but we believe there were a lot more deaths," said Aye Myint Maung,deputy minister of environmental conservation and forestry. "There are some areas we can’t reach because of fighting between the government and ethnic rebels," he told dpa. There are 2,500 to 3,000 wild elephants left in Myanmar’s jungles, down from 6,000 in 1960-1970, and 4,639 recorded in a 1991 census, the deputy minister said, citing government estimates.
2014-05-29 - Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Every day, hundreds of pilgrimages to Angkor Wat come to an end without a single glimpse of a centuries-old secret, one that long ago faded into the ancient temple walls. By using digital photography and computer analysis, researchers recently discovered elaborate depictions and murals of elephants, trees, boats and Buddha that are otherwise invisible to the naked eye, erased from plain sight by years of weathering.
2014-05-28 - Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Two years after she was walked out of the city in the middle of the night to a quiet life of retirement on the outskirts of the capital, Sambo, Phnom Penh’s iconic and much-beloved elephant, might soon be back at work entertaining tourists. With funding for her recently concluded rehabilitation program now gone, her owner is insisting he has little choice but to begin showcasing her once more at Wat Phnom, a decision contested by the elephant rescue organisation that bankrolled her two-year sa...
2014-05-25 - Hai Phong, Vietnam.
The tusks were concealed in a 40-foot container. The customs declaration for the container claimed it held 15 tons of charcoal. Local customs officers inspected the container and found that the haul of elephant tusks, each of which was cut into many pieces and hidden in charcoal bags. The shipment was smuggled into Vietnam from Hong Kong by sea before being exported to China, they said.
2014-05-23 - Knysna, South Africa.
This press statement is being put out by the Knysna Elephant Park (KEP) and Elephants of Eden (EOE) in response to the abuse allegations and Facebook entries on the NSPCA Facebook Site and disseminated by the NSPCA to the various news stations and probably newspapers as well. The legal adviser for EOE, Mr. F J Fischer of C J Ballan Inc of Knysna, has received the necessary instructions to investigate civil action against the NSPCA and Mr. Gerhard Van Rooyen.
2014-05-19 - Knysna, South Africa.
The National Council of SPCA’s (NSPCA) has laid criminal charges against a well-known elephant sanctuary in Knysna for extreme cruelty to animals after photographs emerged showing wounded elephants. The Knysna Elephant Park, part of the Elephants of Eden group before it moved from the Eastern Cape to Knysna, offers visitors a range of experiences with elephants – from close encounters (their ‘Be Touched by an Elephant tour) to exclusive walks, rides and even a sleepover with elephants.
2014-05-17 - Hong Kong, China.
Hong Kong has begun destroying its 29.6-metric-ton stockpile of confiscated ivory. On Thursday authorities in the semi-autonomous Chinese city crushed and incinerated a ton of seized ivory in an action they hope will send a message to poachers and traffickers. Conservationists welcomed the move but said more must be done to address the demand side of the issue.
2014-05-15 - Kruger National Park, South Africa.
The South African National Parks (SANParks) has today announced the first confirmed elephant poaching incident in the Kruger National Park (KNP) in well over ten years. The incident occurred in the Pafuri region, in the northern part of the KNP. According to SANParks Rangers Corp Officer Commanding, Major General (Ret) Johan Jooste, forensic evidence suggests that this elephant bull was purposefully shot for its tusks, which were hacked off and carried away by suspected poachers.
2014-05-09 - Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
The Tanzania government, in collaboration with the International Conservation Caucus Foundation (ICCF) of the United States of America and the United Nations Development Program, has organized a special conference late this week to address elephant conservation and anti-poaching initiatives. This conference, to be taking place in Tanzania’s capital city of Dar es Salaam, will take place Friday this week and is expected to attract national and international stakeholders in conservation of wildl...
2014-05-06 - Karachi, Pakistan.
The people of Karachi are not the only ones suffering from the heat wave. The rise in temperature has also affected the animals at the Karachi Zoological Gardens as the ‘ponds’ where they can escape the heat are small and uncomfortable and in one case, nonexistent. While other animals have been provided ponds ‘according to the sizes’, the pair of elephants at the zoo have not been as lucky. To escape the heat, they are being kept under shelter during the day and are shifted to open cages...
2014-05-06 - Ann Arbor, United States.
More than two decades ago, University of Michigan paleontologist Daniel Fisher and some of his students began the laborious task of digitally scanning the bones of mastodons, mammoths and other prehistoric creatures so the images could be displayed on computers.
2014-05-06 - Bangalore, India.
Sources told Express that the Forest Department had not kept its promise to release more money towards feeding those pachyderms and the additional burden has fallen on the zoo. The zoo required just three to four elephants for display purposes, but it has 15 elephants. Maintaining them has become a big problem.
2014-05-06 - Prachuab Khiri Khan, Thailand. Post Publishing PCL.
Ivory thieves broke into the Hutsadin Elephant Foundation in Prachuap Khiri Khan province and cut both tusks off an elderly male elephant on Sunday night, and a sacked mahout is one of the suspects. The foundation manager, Piyawut Phetchumpol, said Plai Boonmee, the male elephant, was recovering from the shock of having his ivory snatched and was being given vitamins hidden inside bananas and pineapples.
2014-05-05 - Pune, India.
The adoption of elephants, as part of the Katraj zoo adoption scheme, contributed to a major chunk of the money raised through this scheme last year. The zoo raised Rs 5.55 lakh in 2013, the second highest amount collected since the scheme´s launch in 2010. It costs Rs 45,000 a month to care for an elephant and last year, the elephants were adopted several times
2014-05-05 - , Laos.
The captive elephant population in Laos will be extinct in just over a century if current management practices do not change, a University of Queensland study has found. It is estimated that only 480 captive elephants remain across Laos, and the study shows that changes to conservation management are necessary to prevent extinction.
2014-05-04 - Edmonton, United States.
A man who fought vigorously against animal rights activists who wanted to see Lucy the Elephant moved to an animal sanctuary, has died. Doctor Milton Ness, a chief veterinarian at the Edmonton Valley Zoo, passed away last week. In 2012, Ness was honoured by the Alberta Veterinarian Medical Association for his exceptional communication with Edmonton residents.
2014-05-04 - KANNUR, India.
A wild elephant that is suspected to have killed a tribal woman at Aralam here two weeks ago died on Thursday apparently due to injury caused by some explosion. Forest officials said the elephant was found wandering in Aralam with some injury in its mouth in the last week of April, nearly a week after the tribal woman was trampled to death.
2014-05-04 - Kochi, India.
Following a complaint that wounded jumbos were being paraded at the Peruvaram Mahadeva temple at Paravur, a five-member flying squad of the forest department inspected the elephants being readied for the ´kazcha seeveli´ ritual on Saturday evening. We´ve found a wound near the knee of an elephant, Mangalakunnu Karnan. But Dr Gireesh, the veterinarian who issued fitness certificates for the jumbos said the wound is not as severe as to cause pain to the animal.
2014-05-04 - Washington, United States.
In June, the United States begins strict enforcement of a ban on ivory from the tusks of African and Asian elephants. But the ban is forcing musicians to make a choice, perform without their favorite instruments, or give up work that takes them across the U.S. border.
2014-05-04 - Xishuangbanna, China.
At a time when tens of thousands of elephants across Africa are being slaughtered to feed the Chinese appetite for ivory, it turns out the best place to be a wild elephant may be here in the tropical forests of southwest China. Over the past two decades, the number of Asiatic elephants in Yunnan Province in China has roughly doubled, to nearly 300, thanks to government-financed feeding programs, wildlife education efforts and a strict elephant protection law unmatched anywhere else in the world....
2014-05-04 - Pollachi, India.
Every love story is interesting. This one is more so as R. Palanisamy begins saying ‘Kalpana Chawla’ will be expecting him back home. He is a mahout and ‘Kalpana Chawla’ is the elephant he has trained. And, they both live in the Tamil Nadu Forest Department’s elephant camp in Topslip.
2014-05-04 - Thrissur, India. Dhinesh Kallungal
Dhinesh Kallungal:"The stage is set for one of the ‘mammoth misuses’ of captive elephants in the country, with the festival organisers of Thrissur Pooram, the largest temple festival in the South India, doing the final preparations to make the festival a roaring success at the cultural capital of Kerala."
2014-05-04 - Punta Gorda, United States. Barbara J. Bonsignore
Jacob reminisces about his earlier life as chief medical person for all of the animals at the Benzini Bros. Circus – “The Greatest Show on Earth.” He dropped out of vet school before his final exam so was technically a vet student. The author gives us a varied tapestry of life behind the scenes at “The Big Top” – the greed, poverty, violence, tawdriness, friendship and caring between the circus employees.
2014-05-03 - Udawalawe, Sri Lanka.
Wildlife Director General W.B. Rathnayake says that he will hold an investigation with regard to the attempt of poaching an elephant calf from the Uda-Walawa Sanctuary yesterday afternoon. Later Wildlife officers have chased after the poachers, and the poachers have fired gun shots at wildlife officers. However wildlife officers found the calf elephant after it was abandoned by its poachers in a nearby shrub jungle.
2014-05-03 - Agra, India.
A first of its kind unique elephant conservation centre in Agra rescues elephants from various party of the country and provides a safe haven where the animal can roam about unfettered. The 10- acre centre has been opened by the Wildlife Association and Save Our Souls (SOS) and is located near Mathura. A similar elephant centre is underway in Haryana.
2014-05-03 - Nairobi, Kenya.
Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) said Saturday its rangers have launched a major manhunt for poachers who killed six elephants and carted off ivory in a poaching incident last Thursday. KWS spokesman Paul Mbugua said the six elephants have been confirmed poached and two - female adults, tusks’ chopped off at Dawida ranch in the periphery of Tsavo West National Park. “Four others were all tusk-less juvenile. All carcasses had gunshot wounds. The area is prone to livestock herding with a number o...
Kenyan wildlife authorities say two police officers have been arrested transporting illegal elephant ivory as the government cracks down on poaching of the country’s endangered elephants and rhinos. Kenya Wildlife Service said Saturday the officers were caught with six pieces of ivory at a road block while travelling from the central Kenyan town of Meru to the capital Friday night.
2014-05-03 - Oakland, United States.
On Saturday, May 3, 2014, at 11:00am, Dr. Joel Parrott, President & CEO of Oakland Zoo, will accept the dedication of a bronze elephant statue from the Snow family, in memory of Sidney A. Snow, who personally procured the land for Oakland Zoo and founded the Alameda County Zoological Society, now the East Bay Zoological Society. Snow served as Director of Oakland Zoo from 1936 until his death in 1959.
2014-05-02 - Udawalawe, Sri Lanka.
Some gangsters who had allegedly attempted to remove an elephant calf from the Udawalawe National Park on Thursday and transport it by a tractor were intercepted by the wildlife officers and the residents. When their motives came to light they had fled leaving the calf behind. Residents in the area believe that his high handed act of piracy was attempted with state patronage.
2014-05-01 - Los Angeles, United States.
The bullhook ban will go into effect at the beginning of 2017 a delay meant to give circuses time to change how they handle elephants or remove them from their shows completely. "We´re not going to come to L.A. without our elephants," said Stephen Payne, vice president of corporate communications for Feld Entertainment, the parent company for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
2014-05-01 - Thrissur, India.
It is common knowledge that the Thrissur Pooram was the brain child of King Sakthan Thampuran, who also had the dense teak forests of the renowned Thekkinkadu Maidanam cleared, just for its sake. "There won´t be a next generation of elephants in Kerala, and consequently, no more Poorams! Enjoy them while they are still on,
2014-05-01 - Aceh, Indonesia.
Eleven people were arrested on April 16 by West Aceh police for allegedly killing a Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus), in a forest six kilometers away from Teupin Panah village, Kaway XVI, in the West Aceh district. The suspects -- five from Ceumara village, one from Babah Lueng village, three from Seumantok village, and two from Teupin Panah village -- confessed to killing two elephants in Pante Ceuremen forest and one elephant in Kaway XVI over the course of a year.
2014-04-30 - Ernakulam, India.
An injured female wild elephant that took refuge in the reservoir of the Edamalayar Dam in Ernakulam district a week ago after getting isolated from its herd is reluctant to return to the forests. The elephant that limped back into the forests on Saturday morning was found back in the reservoir on Sunday morning
2014-04-30 - Nairobi, Kenya.
Three suspects will appear in court in Kenya next week after six elephants, including four juveniles, were found shot dead in a private reserve in one of the worst poaching incidents in several years. A wildlife official said that it is thought that the killings were at least partly motivated by revenge against officials because the calves, not having tusks, had no value to poachers.
2014-04-29 - Uttarakhand, India.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has stayed construction of a 2-km wall inside the Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand, after it found the wall would obstruct a passage used by elephants along the Song River. The Social Action for Forest and Environment (SAFE), an NGO, had filed a petition with the NGT about the construction being carried out by the state irrigation department, without taking permission from the Union forest ministry.
2014-04-24 - , United Kingdom.
The Duchess of Cornwall was left ‘utterly devastated’ last night by the death of her younger brother in New York. Mark Shand, 62, suffered a head injury when he slipped and fell on the pavement on a night out in Manhattan. He was put on life support but doctors could not save him and he died 12 hours later. Camilla, 66, was extremely close to her only brother, who was known for his swashbuckling travel books and passionate commitment to conservation.
2014-04-20 - GARUMARA, India.
Over 90 captive elephants of West Bengal Forest Department are inseparable part of Election process in Northern part of the state that hosts a vast forest area under many reserved and unreserved forests including Buxa Tiger reserve, Garumara National park, Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary or Chapramari WL Sanctuary.
2014-02-27 - Sydney, Australia.
International comedian and actor John Cleese is coming to Dubbo to put on a show and help open new accommodation at Taronga Western Plains Zoo (TWPZ). The unforgettable star of shows like Fawlty Towers and the cult Monty Python films will travel to the city in late March. The general manager confirmed that the 40-year veteran of stage and screen would perform at TWPZ.
2014-02-27 - Windhoek, Namibia.
Namibia’s successful implementation of conservation policies has seen the country’s wildlife population rebound dramatically in the past two decades. More than 25 000 elephants exist in Namibia currently, up from a mere 7000 elephants in 1995.
2014-02-27 - Seattle, United States.
The fossilized mammoth tusk discovered at a Seattle construction site will reveal its age, gender and life story, but probably not for another year, because that´s how long it will take scientists to dry out the water-logged and fragile tusk, officials at the Burke Museum said Wednesday.
2014-02-25 - Okinawa, Japan.
The Okinawa Zoo & Museum has announced on February 10 that 13-year-old Asian elephant Ryuka is pregnant. It is the first time that an elephant has become pregnant in Okinawa. She is scheduled to give birth around next March. Ten elephants have been born in Japan since the war. The people related to the zoo hope the elephant will be born in Okinawa for the first time.
2014-02-22 - Washington, United States.
A decade-long legal battle is finally coming to a close after the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) agreed to pay the owners of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus $9.3 million for alleging the circus abused their elephants. “Animal activists have been attacking our family, our company, and our employees for decades because they oppose animals in circuses,” Kenneth Feld, chairman and chief executive officer of Feld Entertainment, said in a stateme...
2014-02-21 - Wraxall, United Kingdom.
NOAH´S Ark Zoo Farm in Wraxall welcomed a new arrival at its Elephant Eden site on Thursday. Buta, a female African elephant, became the first to move into the largest purpose-built elephant habitat in northern Europe where the zoo hopes to establish a herd. Buta was transported to the new 20-acre area from Knowsley Safari after four months of special training
2014-02-21 - New York, United States.
Our animals are inspected by animal welfare officials and routinely inspected and are licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.Despite this heavy regulatory scrutiny, many animal-rights groups criticize our animal care and the use of approved and widely accepted elephant tools, like the guide (often referred to by animal extremists as a “bullhook”). Groups like the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Elephant Managers Association and other professional organizations recognize ...
2014-02-20 - Kunming, China.
A zookeeper died in an elephant enclosure on Wednesday afternoon in southwest China´s Yunnan province, a source at the zoo said. The man, 46, was found dead at about 4:30 p.m. He had injuries to his head, according to the zoo of Kunming, the provincial capital. It is not yet known whether the man had been attacked by an elephant. The cause of the accident is being investigated.
2014-02-11 - San Diego, United States.
Animal care staff has been introducing Mila to one the female elephants of the herd -- the most dominant of the group -- an Asian elephant named Mary. They say the interactions have been largely positive, with Mila and Mary reaching through the barriers with their trunks to get to know each other. The 41-year-old elephant arrived in San Diego from a zoo in New Zealand back in November.
2014-02-09 - Mitaka, Japan.
Hanako, a female Asian elephant who arrived in Japan shortly after the end of World War II celebrated her 67th birthday on Feb. 2 at Inokashira Park Zoo -- continuing her distinction as Japan´s eldest elephant. Also attending the occasion was the family of the late Thai businessperson Somwang Sarasas, who presented Hanako as a gift in 1949 with his own funds.
2014-02-09 - Xishuangbanna, China.
Two tourists were injured by a group of wild elephants at a scenic spot in China´s southwestern Yunnan Province, local officials said today. The incident took place at the Wild Elephant Valley in the Dai Autonomous Prefecture of Xishuangbanna yesterday when the elephants trying to cross a river attacked a family of five.
2014-02-09 - DHARMAPURI, India.
Five forest department staff and as many as five civilians were injured after they were attacked by a herd of elephants near Denkanikottah, 32km from Hosur in Krishnagiri district, official sources said today. All the injured persons have been hospitalised and are out of danger.
2014-02-07 - Tupelo, United States.
A circus elephant is coming back to Mississippi, nearly a year after being injured in a drive-by shooting. Carol, a 39-year-old Asian elephant, spent several weeks recovering at a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus farm in Springfield, Mo., after the April 9, 2013, shooting outside BancorpSouth Arena in Tupelo, Miss. The animal was shot in the shoulder. No arrests have been made but the case remains open.
2014-02-06 - Chitwan, Nepal.
A man died after a wild elephant attacked him at Gardi VDC-1 in the district on Wednesday night. The victim is identified as 43-year-old Sher Bahadur Darjee of Gardi VDC. Notorious elephant called Dhrube had killed other three people in a row of attacks after it first took one’s life at Ameliya village in the Madi area last year. The government had spent 1,600,000 rupees in a bid to take Dhrube under control.
2014-02-06 - Adelaide, Australia.
A gift from the king of Thailand in 1956, Samorn the elephant charmed children and adults alike at the zoo for 35 years by hauling them around the zoo grounds in a cart. Meaning "beautiful lady" in Thai, Samorn was admired by everyone as a gentle giant who loved her "mahout", Hero Nuus and enjoyed her regular contact with children. The three-tonne elephant retired from the role in 1982 and moved to Monarto Zoological Park nine years later. She died in 1994 and in 1998 her bones were put on displ...
2014-02-06 - Kochi, India.
Don’t blame it on the veterinarians if they arrive late to dart restive wild animals as Kochi has only one licensed government veterinarian for the jumbo job. Though there is enough number of government veterinarians in the district who can dart the animals, including elephants, only one has the licence to pick up the dart gun and fire to sedate them. And it may take hours for making his service available as proved in the city on Tuesday. It took nearly three hours for the veterinarian to arr...
2014-02-06 - THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India.
The brutal death of Saneesh, a mahout who was mauled by a 19 year old elephant at Thevara, is due to the disruption of a long standing relationship of trust and love that mahouts and elephants used to have till a decade ago. Saneesh was the twenty eighth mahout that 19 year old Uttoli Mahadevan, had to take orders from in the last seven years.
2014-02-06 - Windhoek, Namibia.
To give park rangers in Africa an upper hand in the fight against poachers, conservationists are bringing drones to the places where vulnerable elephants and rhinoceroses roam. Google gave the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) a $5 million Global Impact Award about a year ago to look for new ways to detect and deterwildlife crime.
2014-02-05 - Erfurt, Germany.
A German conservation official who caused uproar after he boasted about shooting an elephant in Botswana has been made president of a state agricultural institute rather than being sacked. Elephant hunting was, when Wedekind fired his shots, allowed to an extent in Botswana. The country banned it at the beginning of 2014. Wedekind will be the head of Thuringia´s Institute for Agriculture, the environmental ministry confirmed.
2014-02-05 - Panama City, United States.
Elephant Walk, a USDA-licensed elephant exhibitor, used the STAT-PAK kit to test one of its elephants, Topsy. After the test showed a "reactive" result, Elephant Walk asked for clarification and a retest, claiming that the test was often unreliable. When Elephant Walk later retested Topsy, it allegedly got a negative result. It claimed that the inaccurate "reactive" result stopped it from exhibiting Topsy in circuses and other events because animal rights groups and certain states had interprete...
2014-02-05 - Calcutta, India.
National Green Tribunal on Tuesday sought a response from the Centre and Assam government on a petition alleging that work of some state-owned companies in and around the Dehing-Patkai wildlife sanctuary in Tinsukia district was affecting the environment. Based on the petition, the tribunal also issued notices and sought responses of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, Oil India Ltd, National Highways Authority of India, Coal India Ltd and various state authorities. The petition alleged that their activ...
2014-02-05 - Surabaya, Indonesia.
A MALE giraffe died an agonising death at Indonesia´s Surabaya Zoo with 20 kg of plastic found in his stomach, in 2012. Three months later, a 30-year-old female elephant died after living with a broken leg for two years. So far this year, six animals have died at Indonesia´s largest zoo, in East Java province, including a protected 3-year-old Komodo dragon and an African lion called Michael, found with his head caught in a cable in his enclosure.
2014-02-05 - Nairobi, Kenya.
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has launched a programme to count the elephant population in both the Tsavo National Park and Mkomanzi Park in Tanzania. A total of 1193 elephants were counted in the year 2013 compared to a similar dry season in October 2010 count of 1065, a 12 per cent increase. In April 2013, the wet season count found 1930 elephants compared to 1420 in April 2010, a 35 per cent increase. Elephant population increased from 1420 to 1,930 while elephant carcass ratio declined fr...
2014-02-05 - Yangon, Myanmar.
“Simply speaking, smuggling ivory out of the country is increasing. Surveys also show that. As a result, the Forest Department is trying to control it in collaboration with international wildlife preservation organisations,” said the researcher, requesting anonymity. An official from the Myanmar Timber Enterprise (MTE) called for systematic measures, stating that the increasing illegal ivory trade is a danger to the nation.
2014-02-04 - Lome, Togo.
Authorities in Togo have seized nearly 4 tons of ivory — the tusks from over 500 dead elephants — hidden in containers destined for Vietnam, officials said on Monday. Two locals and a man from Vietnam, where the containers were headed to, were arrested but it was not clear where the ivory came from.
2014-02-04 - Nairobi, Kenya.
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and various stakeholders say they have finalized plans to carry out aerial census of elephants in the expansive Tsavo-Mkomazi ecosystem starting on Tuesday. KWS said Monday the results of the Feb. 4-10 exercise will help the wildlife officials establish the current elephant and other large mammals population size and distribution and compare these results with the results of past aerial counts
2014-02-04 - Houston, United States.
Zookeepers and volunteers are now watching around the clock for any signs of labor in Shanti. “She might swap her tail, lift her legs, maybe she can’t get as comfortable at night. Oftentimes too, you’ll see her lift her tail like she’s straining a little bit.” Like elephants in the wild, Shanti will give birth standing up, and gravity will help the calf drop out of her. The calf might weigh 350 pounds or more.
2014-02-04 - Pathanamthitta, India.
A 40-year-old female elephant has died after consuming plastic waste dumped by Sabarimala pilgrims. Forest officials found the carcass at Valiyanavattam along the path leading to the pilgrim centre in Pathanamthitta district. Veterinary surgeon Saseendra Dev, who conducted the autopsy, said the animal had consumed 2 kg of food packaging waste, including plastic bags, biscuit covers and aluminum foils.
2014-02-04 - Bangalore, India.
Not since forest brigand Veerappan was killed by the Special Task Force in 2004 has the forest department been so jittery. Three young elephants have been killed for their tusks in the last six months — two of them in just a month in the ´D´ (demarcation) line between Karnataka-Tamil Nadu.
2014-02-04 - New York, United States.
After receiving information that African elephants are headed for extinction and elephant ivory poaching is funding terrorism, Assemblyman Bob Sweeney wrote a letter imploring the Department of Conservation to prohibit the sale of ivory in New York.
2014-02-04 - Mettupalayam, India.
After 48 days in the rejuvenation camp, 31 temple and 18 forest elephants from different parts of Tamil Nadu would leave for their respective places on Tuesday evening. The annual camp was held on the banks of Bhavani river at Thekkumpatti and Nellithorai near Mettupalayam. The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) and Forest Department organised the camp to help the temple elephants regain vitality.
2014-02-04 - Jakarta, Indonesia.
Two new born elephants at Ragunan Zoo are waiting for Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to name them. On Dec. 2, 25-year-old Sumatran elephant Mulyani gave birth to a female calf, while on Oct. 20,Mulyani´s eldest daughter, Agustin, gave birth to a male calf. "We have given the calves temporary names until the governor names them," Ragunan Zoo spokesman Wahyudi Bambang said recently.
2014-02-03 - Mysore, India.
The injured included a journalist, a mahout, a kavadi and two girls, who had visited the venue for the fair. The incident occurred when two elephants of Suttur mutt, Drona and Champa, raised a ruckus owing to the noise of crackers that were burst during Rathotsava, at the venue. The elephants which were near the mutt premises, reacted out of fear as the crackers burst, and ran haywire, resulting in losses to vendors, who had set up shop for the fair.
2014-02-03 - Prague, Czech Republic.
A man smuggling 33 kilos of elephant tusks was caught at the Prague international airport on Tuesday, the Czech customs authority and the Czech environmental inspectorate told CTK Friday. The smuggler was heading to Asia where the tusks could be sold for up to $2500 per kilogramme on the black market, or for over $80,000.
2014-02-02 - Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Minister of Wildlife Resources Conservation Wijith Wijayamuni Zoysa defended the Government’s practice of gifting baby elephants to various parties, stating criticism of the action was unwarranted. Speaking to The Nation, the minister brushed aside criticism leveled by environmentalists, claiming the Government ‘will not be dictated by environmentalists.
2014-02-02 - , United States.
A German conservation official has shot dead an elephant in Botswana. Udo Wedekind, whose job includes environmental protection and care of endangered species, fired at the animal during a hunting trip in the African country last year. Today, Thueringen´s regional government environment minister, Juergen Reinholz, said: ´It is not of interest what civil servants do in their free time as long as they follow the law and don´t break the rules.´
2014-02-02 - Greenville, United States.
Ladybird, one of the Greenville Zoo´s African elephants, is undergoing treatment and close observation for a medical condition, zoo officials said. Officials said Ladybird experienced an episode of abdominal pain, which can be fairly common with a weather change. As a result, she has been receiving supportive care, including oral fluids and high fiber foods. She may also be taken off exhibit, officials said, while she recovers.
2014-02-01 - , Myanmar.
This government-owned camp holding 62 elephants and about 330 local villagers is one of many which are under threat due to upcoming changes in laws that reflect the steady depletion of forests in the country. The local government blames illegal loggers for this, while others are under the opinion that the government carelessly sold land for construction and development purposes to the wrong people. Either way, elephant logging which has been a source of income for many in this country for genera...
2014-02-01 - Melbourne, Australia.
The new calf has been named Man Jai, which means "confident" in Thai. A special naming celebration was held at Melbourne Zoo on Saturday. The elephant´s name was chosen by zoo members as part of an online poll. Other possible options for the lively zoo addition included Sai, meaning tropical tree or Look Nam, which means "likes water".
2014-02-01 - Daloa, Ivory Coast.
Due to the increasing conflict between elephants and villagers in the town of Daloa, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) was tasked with the mission of transporting a rare subspecies of elephants across the Ivory Coast to improve their safety as well as the safety of local villagers. Of the six African forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) that were transported, two died during the trip.
2014-01-31 - London, United Kingdom.
As John Sutherland, the literary academic, admits from the off, his new book is not really an “unauthorised biography” at all. It is more a treasure trove of elephant ephemera with eye-popping statistics on trunks, dung and sex and characters from Chunee, Jumbo’s popular show animal predecessor in London, to Disney’s fictional Dumbo.
2014-01-31 - Entebbe, Uganda.
The Ugandan Wildlife Authority (UWA) says it will start using surveillance drones to help protect elephants and other endangered animals that have come under increased threat from poachers in recent months. The unmanned aircraft are scheduled to be flying by the end of the year. UWA Executive Director Andrew Seguya told reporters that the drones will catch poachers “while in the act.”
2014-01-31 - Bangkok, Thailand.
Anantara Hotels, Resorts and Spas has confirmed that the King´s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament will this year move from its original home of Hua Hin to the Thai capital of Bangkok. The annual tournament, now in its thirteenth year, will take place at the Siam Polo Park at VR Sports Club in Bangkok between 28-31 August 2014.
2014-01-31 - Bethesda, United States. Stanton JJ, Nofs SA, Zachariah A, Kalaivannan N, Ling PD.
We used previously validated EEHV-specific quantitative real-time PCR assays to detect subclinical EEHV infection in three regionally distinct Asian elephant cohorts, totaling 46 in situ elephants in South India, during October and November 2011. Using DNA prepared from trunk washes, we detected EEHV1, EEHV3/4, and EEHV5 at frequencies of 7, 9, and 20% respectively. None of the trunk washes was positive for EEHV2 or 6. At least one EEHV species was detectable in 35% (16/46) of the samples that w...
2014-01-30 - Washington, United States.
The United Nations Security Council took a critical step today in tackling elephant poaching and illicit ivory trade by addressing the link between instability in the Democratic Republic of Congo and wildlife trafficking. In renewing the DRC sanctions regime, the resolution targets individuals and entities illegally supporting armed groups through the illicit trade of natural resources, including wildlife and wildlife products, such as elephant ivory.
2014-01-30 - Colombo, Sri Lanka.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday gifted two baby elephants to the Sri Lanka Army and the Police. Three and a half year old ‘Kandula’ was handed over to the Army and four and half year old ‘Abeetha’ to the Police. The baby elephants donated by the Department of Wildlife will be used at ceremonial occassions by the Army and the Police.
2014-01-28 - New Delhi, India.
Devasthan Management Committee, which manages the famous Jyotiba temple in Kolhapur, today denied that elephant Sunder was tortured and starved during the last six years while it was under the temple´s care, as alleged by NGO PETA. The management committee of the temple, by a resolution passed on December 26, 2013, gifted Sunder to Warna Sahakari Dudh Utpadan Society. Accordingly, it has been shifted to the company premises where it walks in open air, said the affidavit.
2014-01-26 - Tehama, United States.
In the rural, rolling hills of Northern California, plans are under way for a 4,900-acre preserve that would keep African elephants healthy, in shape and breeding. Part fat farm and part laboratory, the elephant preserve would start with three to five elephants and let them grow into a herd of 12 to 15 over two decades. Scientists also would conduct research into the "near-wild" herd, and school groups would come to learn about African elephants, considered to be a threatened species because of ...
2014-01-24 - Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
This January National Museums Scotland presents Mammoths of the Ice Age, a major exhibition exploring the mysteries of the Ice Age and revealing what life was like for the iconic mammals of this era; the mammoth and the mastodon. Unlike dinosaurs and other prehistoric mammals, mastodons and mammoths lived side by side with humans for thousands of years. In Mammoths of the Ice Age visitors can again come nose-to-trunk with these intriguing animals.
2014-01-21 - Bombay, India.
Sunder the elephant, who has been the subject of a petition for his release will have his case heard in front of the Bombay High court on Tuesday. Through an investigative video, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a non-governmental organisation working for the welfare of animals, had furnished evidence of abuse that the pachyderm was allegedly being subjected to. Officials from PETA and a few supporters had met state forest minister Patangrao Kadam regarding Sunder’s case. At thi...
2014-01-17 - Topeka, United States.
So far, the zoo only has a price estimate for building out the elephant exhibit. In 2012, Wiley said, that cost was estimated at $9.8 million, which would increase the exhibit from three-quarters of an acre and two elephants to 3 acres and six to eight elephants. Expanding the elephant exhibit would be the zoo’s first priority, should the plan be set into motion, he said.
2014-01-17 - , United States.
Nong Nooch Tropical Garden celebrated the birth of its first elephant calf of 2014 with the arrival of a playful male Jan. 6. Park Director Kampol Tansajja announced that 14-year-old cow Sarai had given birth to her first calf, which appeared healthy and was feeding normally. It was sired by 16-year-old bull Ning Nong.
2014-01-16 - Oquawka, United States.
This is a bittersweet tale about a 6,500-pound circus elephant, her final resting place, and her legacy. It is a story in which some see a grain of humor, perhaps something we all need to find when tragedy strikes under unusual circumstances and is recalled years later.
2014-01-16 - Audubon, United States.
How do you slice a birthday cake for elephants? You don´t - the elephant honoree gets an entire cake. At least, that´s what the Audubon Zoo did Thursday for Panya´s 50th birthday. The Asian elephant got one complete chocolate cake. The zoo´s other Asian elephant, 41-year-old Jean, got another.
