I always loved the Sigur Region in the middle of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve. People are nice and nature magnificent. You will find here a diversity of traditional cultures, beautiful jungles with tigers and elephants. Still, if you are interested in culture or nature and you envisage to visit this region, think twice.
The jungle is littered with plastics and replete with cattle. Loudspeakers are in all villages (a blatant ignorance Supreme Court orders) blasting their awful popular music up to three kilometers in the jungle, days and nights for weeks. Roads are loaded with speeding, honking or picnicking cars. For a few hundred Rupees (more), your driver can annoy a herd of elephants to make a female charge. You can flash a tiger at night, with the satisfaction that you have endangered this species more, a princely pleasure. Chance is that bonfires will be with forest wood or the “food” (it’s for tourists) you eat in the village has also been cooked with forest wood. If there is left over, you can throw it to an elephant.
If you like responsible ecotourism (I may be tired with continuous “music” for the last few days), wait and see if it improves.
It is an immense honor to announce that E. R. C. Davidar, the founder of the Sigur Nature Trust, has joined eminent foresters and conservationists in the Hall of Fame of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department.The inauguration of the Hall of Fame was organized on the 31st January 2016, in the Panagal Building and inaugurated by Thiru M. S. M. Anandan, the Minister of Environment and Forests, Government of Tamil Nadu, Thiru Hans Raj Verma, I.A.S, Principal Secretary to the Government, Dr. Krishna Kumar, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and HOD, and Dr. V. K. Melkani, PCCF and Chief Wildlife Warden.
The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has opened a Hall of Fame at its headquarters in Chennai, where photographs and works of legendary forest officers and conservationists have been displayed.The team identified 20 officers and five well-known conservationists.
E.R.C. Davidar is remembered in particular, for undertaking the first survey of the Nilgiri tahr over its entire range, conducting the first study in India on elephant corridors and taking an active part in the protection of the Nilgiris.
Dr. Priya Davidar, Managing Trustee of the Sigur Nature Trust, participated to the inauguration. Following the example set by her father, she recalled that it is imperative to preserve wildlife if our civilization is to survive. In this effort, the involvement of society is crucial, as acknowledged by the Hall of Fame where distinguished foresters are in the company of dedicated citizens.
Times of India has dedicated an article to this event:
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The “Sigur “River”, a former ecosystem, source of protein for Tribal people and water for wildlife.
When we first settled into Cheetal Walk in the 1960’s, the favorite activity of my siblings and myself, encouraged by our father of course, was catching fish in the Sigur River or Sigur Halla. There were all sorts and sizes of fish. My father used to go to the larger pools with a bamboo rod, line and worms dug up near the kitchen, to catch some carp for dinner. In fact, the tribal woman working for us said quite sadly one day: “poor man is catching fish so that his family can eat.” Those were the fish those days, sometimes reaching a few kilos in weight.
In 1968 everything changed: the river went dry. This was because of the construction of the Pykhara dam in the upper reaches of the river, increasing agricultural activity and diversion of water downstream. There were fish of all types and shapes and colors flopping around on the sand or dying in the pools. The river was fetid with the smell of dead fish. Many animals enjoyed this special treat, but the elephants were distraught by the lack of clean water. They dug wells in the river bed and waited patiently for the water to rise up to drink. We went fishing with the tribal children and caught some of the larger fish. We even caught an enormous eel well over a meter in length weighing about 10 kg.
The Sigur Halla started drying up every year and the fish disappeared. After the rains I would go to the river and see fingerlings emerging from the eggs that had been deposited in the sand. This continued for a few years and we enjoyed fishing with bedsheets, catching the small fish and putting them in an aquarium. My brother Mark used to have two aquaria in the 1990’s with some of the river fish. We used to put some in our well. Our well held water even in the dry season, although the level was very low. We had not been to Cheetal Walk for many years except for short spells, and when we moved there in 2013, the river had just become a storm drain with red muddy water only flowing during the rains. When peering into the well, I noticed one fish: a species of murrell (Channa spp.) also called snakehead, at the surface of the water. Seeing its sad lonely life, I thought it was the sole survivor of the fishes we had put inside the well. There were several species of murrell in the river, but now I never saw even one. During the rains this year I looked again for fingerlings. No luck.
I was determined to find a companion for our lonely murrell, so I asked our cook, who is a tribal person from this region, to find me some river fish. He said that none of the rivers in the region, Anaikatti, Sigur or Mavinhalla had even one fish. All had disappeared due to the drastic change in flow patterns. This got me really worried. He reiterated that there were plenty of fish forty years ago but all had gone. About 25 or more fish species became extinct in the Sigur Halla.
Then a few days ago we wanted to clean the well and noticed more than one fish in the well. What joy! The Murrell was not alone. Maybe we need to examine old wells and other permanent water bodies (if any) in the region to re-stock the Sigur Halla if it ever recovers from the colossal negligence and indifference it has suffered from human hands. To make the River flow again, we need to be sure there is a minimum amount of water at all times, and young ecologists who take its future in their hands.
Priya Davidar.
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It is now more than two years that we have been in charge of the Sigur Nature Trust. The experience was at first exciting: to be in the middle of elephants and wildlife is something irreplaceable. But then I started to understand what is going on in the Sigur Region and this silenced me for some time. I was busy as well, but ultimately traumatized because I have lost hope that we can improve conservation of species.
Everyone has seen or read “The Lord of the Rings”. Sauron could revive because the corruption of men. To end evil seemed impossible because every time anyone got Sauron’s ring, fell to his power. The task to destroy Sauron was impossible. But the fairy tale happy development was due to a lucky accident: the addition of two “greeds”, that of Frodo and that of Gollum, lead to the destruction of the ring.
I know a lot of good people in the Sigur Region among all segments of the population. But these people don’t matter. The general consensus by those who matter, is to make money. Everyone, in all administrations use the law to this purpose. Patrolling and enforcement are non-existent, unless useful to get bribes or when absolutely required by circumstances. This is not due to a lack of training, lack of funds or poverty. What you observe is an insane waste of resources, erosion of ecological processes by the enrichment of a few at the expense of the others.
The addition of “greeds” cannot logically nurture a happy ending in reality. The elephants are going down again with poaching and us with them: look at the conditions of the planet. We are not in a fairy tale and the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat are poisons. How to stop a mindless search for gold when the world itself is all rust?
If more people don’t get involved in the state of the world, eventually the world next door, we will have difficult awakenings. The Baghavad Gita said something like: the most astonishing about men is that they live their lives as if they were eternal. A modern version could be: the most astonishing about men is that they live their lives as if their impact on the world never mattered. This is a quasi-total denial of Karma particularly by people in power. And I am afraid we will have to split humanity in two: those who fight without hope and those who live happy in hell.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud
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It originated from Bill Gates’s blog, from WHO data and various other official agencies, with wide margin of errors. Bill Gates is interested in mosquito borne diseases, we are interested in elephants.
If the figure had taken pollution (the outcome of some people’s greed) into consideration, then millions of people are killed every year by other humans, according to a study in Environmental Research Letters (doi:10.1088/1748-9326/8/3/034005), which makes us and by far, the most dangerous animal species on earth. Sorry for the mosquitoes.
These considerations help us to bring the human-elephant conflict back to reality. In general, this problem is presented out of proportion by the media. Why? Not because of its relative importance but because of its populistic appeal: “the authorities called experts to address the problem”, do we read. It looks serious and elephants are easy targets.
The most important causes of mortality like pollution, rash driving and various forms of safety issues (lack of warnings on road repairs; live electric wires on pavements, distribution of unsafe water, lack of application of buildings norms, unhygienic restaurants, etc.) are ignored because it would fix responsibilities on the perpetuators. And laissez-faire is the rule if you don’t want to punish the (human) culprits.
Laissez-faire is also the rule for elephants because we don’t want to punish the (human) culprits either. If you believe that the hundreds of human deaths by elephants are due to the nasty nature of these animals, you are mistaken. Many “conflicts” are “accidents” where people did not respect the law (you can’t enter into protected areas for example, but this is not strictly enforced) and many other “conflicts” are the consequence of the lack of management (unregulated constructions in corridors, inappropriate agricultural practices, forest encroachments). Very few people are killed intentionally by “vicious” elephants, although it does happen. In the region where we live, human deaths due to elephants are mostly because due to carelessness.
The consequence of the lack of application of the law is the eventual extinction of the Asian elephant. It is the easy way to avoid our responsibilities.
There is a TV program called “Man versus Wild” were one or two guys run around frantically in remote places to “survive” in the wild, with a TV crew around them to ensure the show goes according to schedule. I wonder how imaginative the producers must be, to find such fantastic (fake) stories to tell, because tribals in India live or used to live in the wild and don’t have half the problems this show seems to unearth in the face of a decidedly adverse nature.
I live in the jungle (with moderate comfort) but share some of the experience of the natives. Most of my life is quiet, peaceful, with animals who know me, interspersed with a few rare moments of tragedy when a prey is caught. I frankly see no opposition between man and nature, on the contrary, deep, beautiful bonds that reach some of our wild friends, a few mongooses, elephants, babblers, one or two wild boar.…
Now I just come from my second home, Pondicherry, with a trip to Chennai. There, I find noise, terror on the road, constant anger, absurd competition, and struggle in an ugly, polluted world. Then TV displays unbridled violence with virtual killing of millions, interspersed with reminders from the industry that it is okay to be greedy, jealous, unnaturally muscular, permanently “beautiful”, but that we can stuff ourselves with junk. And as if we needed to be even more insane, we have at your disposal many channels where superstition and money are worshipped together.
The reason we have to make and watch programs such as “Man versus Wild” is because our perception of reality is so altered that we can’t even accept nature as it is. We have to make is as bad as we are with our fabricated banal sensationalism. We are losing our marbles and we should call this particular program “Mad versus Wild” to regain some senses.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud.
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I usually complain about Mr. Peter Davidar taking photographs. Little did I know he was with his camera when we were witnessing the incident of a baby elephant killed. Here are his photographs – I won’t complain any more.
Vehicles waiting for elephants, including the tanker (see our previous post).
Mother with dead baby.
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On 21 Sept. 15, we saw a dead baby elephant on the Mysore – Gudalur highway at 4:30 pm inside the Bandipur Tiger Reserve, 2 – 3 km before the border with Tamil Nadu. Minutes earlier, we saw a Karnataka State Corporation bus rushing at an insane speed. No other car coming in the opposite direction had any sign of collision with a large animal. We were the first to inform the border check post of the Karnataka Forest Department and immediately after us, the driver of a tanker provided the same information in our presence, of a dead baby elephant. Half an hour later, we were informed that no such incident had happened (the hit and run accident with a baby elephant). A day later we “heard” there was a hit and run case at the same time on 21st September which killed a baby elephant but the Karnataka Forest Department claims it was in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. What is the real story? Are there any other witnesses?
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud.
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As the readers of the Hindu know, (http://m.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/friendly-jumbo-injured-again/article7631100.ece) Rivaldo, the emblematic elephant of the Sigur Range, Nilgiris, has been attacked by another tusker and hurt. For ten days, the Forest Department staff including the Thepakaddu veterinary doctor and the Singara Range Officer supervised the treatment operation at the Sigur Nature Trust premises. The operation was non-traumatic for the elephant because he was not captured as Rivaldo has already been treated in the Sigur Nature Trust premises, he was easily brought back by a Forest Guard who regularly looks after him. Antibiotics and nutrients were delivered in fruits. Since Rivaldo is very docile, the wounds could be sprayed with various medicines, in a relatively safe environment.
The treatment was effective and Rivaldo’s wounds regressed. However, treatments without capture present the inconvenience that wounds cannot be cleaned directly and sutured. The healing is slower and the Forest Department staff and all Rivaldo’s friends will follow him up till the wounds are healed.
Treating an elephant is a remarkable operation involving approximately 15 staff members for ten days, plus the cost of medicine and food to maintain the elephant focused without stressing him. Some guards need to be very close to the elephant, feeding him by hand. Other personnel, including the veterinary doctor take enormous (but controlled) risks approaching the elephant on the side. These operations require expertise and are relatively dangerous for the public, as the elephant remains free of its movement.
All wild elephants cannot be treated because in principle, they are supposed to survive in natural conditions provided by protected areas, where they sometimes meet with accidents, infections, predators etc. and die of natural death. But as tuskers have been heavily poached, it is good management practice to treat the easier cases. Moreover, some animals, like Rivaldo, become emblematic – the symbol of humanity’s love towards elephants. In a world where Asian elephant are endangered according to the IUCN, it is comforting to see dedicated attention extended towards elephants.
During the whole operation, Rivaldo has been calm and gentle. He is a real foody and no one knows for sure if he understood why he was treated with jackfruits, sugarcane and other candy-like food. But all witness to this operation can testify that Rivaldo was delighted of the attention he received, slowly closing his eyes when his favorite guard petted him. At the end of each day, he had his five minutes of absolute peace with humanity and it was beautiful to see.
Our desire here is to inform, without being sensational (hence the absence of names, except that of Rivaldo) and without attempting to express any expert opinion. We were host of this operation, our opinion cannot be that of a professional veterinary doctor. However, we want to pay homage to the Forest Department staff who was present for 10 continuous days, during the week ends or festivals. Without their dedication, Rivaldo may not have survived. We are grateful for their effort.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud.
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Rivaldo is a friendly elephant. Too friendly. Rivaldo has been habituated and fed long time ago by people who did not know what they were doing and then used this elephant for their entertainment – and income. Like most habituated elephants, he became confident with humans, probably visited a house and got its trunk cut. He could have died but he was treated. Other elephants were not so lucky: Roberto Carlos was fed – and shot in the leg. Cafu was fed – and shot. There is very little reason why Rivaldo should be grateful to humans, because he got his share of stones and fireworks. If we could teach him, we would ask him to stay as far as possible from humans. Even though journalists are trying to show elephants in a good light (elephants are nice), sensationalism gets the better. Unfortunately, it turns out that this was not such a heart-warming story. It is another banal, chilling example of human idiocy, cruelty and cynicism. Rivaldo is slowly becoming a circus elephant, fed by anything tourists will leave behind. His territory has become small and instead of roaming the jungle like his ancestors did, he explores wastelands. If you love wild animals, leave them alone. In the photograph attached, admire Rivaldo sleeping and see for yourself: we don’t disturb him. He comes and goes as he wishes and we don’t feed him. He is our wild friend and we respect his freedom. He is not our pet.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud.
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We have often been told: “this place is sacred, keep it as it is” about Cheetal Walk. In a way, it reveals that people associate pristine nature with sacredness. Cheetal Walk however is nothing like pristine. For millennia, people have inhabited this area, hunted, cultivated, cut trees and herded cattle. It looks pristine today because it remained untouched for a few generations, and because we have decided to protect it.
Einstein, I believe, once said something like: “or everything is sacred or nothing is sacred.” People may consider nature to be sacred because it is the source of our very lives. Wild animals are beautiful, natural landscapes are absolutely gorgeous and intelligence seems to flow from every corner. The more we learn, the more we see how the law of nature produces a machinery compared to which our modern technology is child’s play.
But the same people who appreciate nature’s “sanctity” (maintained by private people, communities or governments), find no contradiction in getting into their SUVs, driving back on mad roads into overpopulated cities, work in small offices and live in boxes. This is modern lifestyle, you cannot do anything about it, there is no choice…
The problem is not so much that life is difficult in a polluted, inhuman reality. We are all there. The problem lies in the schizophrenia we have developed about nature, the separations we have built. On the one side, we have our busy cities where we are active, smart and make money, and on the other side, we have a “pleasant” stetting to unwind and relax. Today, the holy-day (also supposed to be dedicated to the sacred) is used to consume the remaining wild, to desecrate our world a little more with activities that do not differ from our routine: I want money, I want to achieve, I want to see a tiger, I want a selfie with an elephant, I want a bonfire, I want to see a charge, I want to see animals at night, I want a good road to get there, I want a spa, etc.
Now, if you consider everything to be sacred, then your office is sacred, your flat or house is sacred, your car is sacred. From all these gadgets, emerge a relationship with nature. So why not use a little bit of your hard-earned money to help conservation? Why not put some (rustic) tomatoes to grow on your balcony? Why not purchase a convenient car that pollutes less? Why not preserve an untouched space in your garden? Why not have a holy-day in a good eco-resort that tries to preserve nature instead of destroying it (this is hard to find and if you check, you will see that this industry has abysmal records to the point of destroying their very source of survival).
Next time you tell a guy that nature is sacred, if you do this, he will consider you to be a saint instead of a worshiper of futilities.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud.
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As I am often far from Pondicherry where we live, my wife purchased three ducks for company. One male duck is territorial and charges. I have seen our servant giving him a good whack with a stick (she was told not to hit the duck) because she is frightened of him, even though he is a perfectly innocuous animal. Its bite is nothing more than a tickle. However, I was also charged and observed that I felt a strong reaction. A duck weights two kilos and a human-being sixty kilos. A human-being is thirty times heavier than a duck. In the same manner an elephant is tens of times bigger than a human being, but would feel a bolt of emotions if anyone goes directly towards it.
In my opinion, there are four situations pertaining to encounters with elephants or other wildlife: the animal is unaware of human presence, aware but comfortable, uncomfortable, and sufficiently disturbed to flee or charge. I am talking of situations instead of distance because one can be very close to animals but undetected if our scent does not waft towards them. Response distances also varies with sex and conditions. Female elephants with babies are extremely aggressive and will be uncomfortable with humans as soon as they detect them.
With wildlife, responsible people will not go to the extent of disturbing animals. It is unethical to ask jeep drivers to provoke an elephant to charge, and photographers should not disturb birds roosting or nesting. Wildlife observation by itself provides sufficient pleasure when animals are left to their own devises. Beautiful encounters happen only when their behavior is natural, when they are not threatened in any way.
Many television programs disregard ethics to be sensational. Professional people disturb animals only I they must. For example, animal surveys create disturbance, but still need to be carried out if we want to know how many animals are present in a reserve. Beyond absolute necessity, no one should take the liberty to provoke additional stresses to species that are on the verge of extinction, because it endangers them further. Moreover, it is dangerous and too many people are killed by “accident”, that are not really accidents but involuntary or voluntary provocations.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud.
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It is now two years that I live almost continuously in the jungle surrounded by elephants. Little by little, I rediscover for myself what must have been the tribal’s knowledge. Therefore, I am not the first on the elephants’ continent, far from it. I even remember seeing on TV Indonesian villagers allowing elephants to “use” their village land during migration. However, experience is different from knowledge. It provides a sense of closeness, a bond.
In the book we recently edited –Giant Hearts, Priya Davidar and I tell an experience we had. To make it short, I went in the middle of an elephant herd to give water to the elephants. As I am better experienced with the elephant body language, I know what to do and how not to disturb them. The elephants observed me and came to drink when the tank was full and we thought it was pure grace. But it was not. It was normal behavior. Elephants are not as aggressive as we think they are and this is how I rediscovered it for myself.
Before leaving Cheetal Walk for a short while, I had to go to the well where a young bull, I was not acquainted with, was standing at nightfall. I decided to go in the full view of the elephant who was 20 to 30 m from the well. However, I walked slowly, deliberately, talking softly to the elephant, making sure he could see me. I always observed him, never went straight at him and I had decided to stop and return to the house at the slightest hint of discomfort. He could charge or run away. But looking at me, he continued to feed, scratched the soil with his tusks, dusted himself. I did my work and I slowly came back to the house, all the time watching the elephant. He did not budge, did not bother.
I was seriously puzzled by this experience that happened on 12 August 2015, World Elephant Day, because it went against what I knew about elephants. My earlier encounter with the herd was exceptional, I thought. I reasoned that the herd or some individuals had a purpose for letting me approach. They may have seen other persons providing water. But here, there was no purpose. The elephant was at peace with me because I approached the right way and did not go beyond his level of comfort, which varies with circumstances. Females with young would have far lower thresholds of tolerance.
With this encounter, I now tend to believe that the aggressiveness we see in elephants is mostly a response to our aggressiveness. We need to change.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud.
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The Pope’s Encyclical is a welcome wake-up call for the Christians, particularly Catholics of course, and some Protestants and maybe other people of other faiths as well. It reminds the Catholics of the importance of the environment and of other forms of life, a welcome move since to the Christian view, Man is the lonely apex of creation.
After a review of the environmental problems and its associated sociological problems, the Encyclical comes with a more theological chapter on Christianity and its understanding of our relationship with nature. Another chapter attempts to go into the root cause of environmental problems, i.e. the technological paradigm. The Pope considers it to form a set of beliefs that over-rides all other beliefs, in particular the notion that Man’s well-being (in a holistic, spiritual understanding) should be the aim of all activities. In economy for example, we are promised future happiness in a world with infinite resources. Optimist technocrats also prophesy solutions to all our problems with science and technology. This attitude percolates into all our lives with a conception of progress that pushes people to “go forward” without thinking twice. And in the Christian perspective, this is considered a sin because this mindset causes a shift from God, the source and the purpose of all existence on whom our focus should remain. This false “wealth” god creates environmental destruction and I must agree with the Pope that our planet is in dire straits. At last a leader is courageous enough to say it.
I don’t believe in happy technological endings and I don’t see the Eldorado some economists promise us. We are richer, maybe. Are we happier or better off? See in your own city how people are ready to kill early morning, stuck in traffic jams. As an ecologist I believe in frugality and in God, depending upon the airline, the weather, and the experience of the Captain. Otherwise, I am a rationalist, empirical sceptic as Nassim Taleb (a trader turned philosopher) puts it. With this prudently laid disclaimer, I would humbly disagree with the Pope on the source of the problem. To me, the source of all problems is political. Even in democratic regimes, we just don’t have abandoned our judgements (sold our souls) regarding technology. We have abandoned our very responsibilities in delegating our power. When we delegate our power with a vote, we hand over responsibilities to professional politicians who do what want their rich sponsors. They become kings. They form dynasties. Early democratic experiment in Greece had citizens taken for a short time at random, to write the Constitution (the law of the law). In that way, common people kept control of the law without conflict of interest. No one could be the king but everyone was involved in the public life.
What would happen to the environment if we dare try empower citizen to write and control the law? This, I believe, could save our planet and is worth trying. Amen.
I came to know about Dame Daphne Sheldrick through our book Giant Hearts. She graciously offered to write the preface and I discovered the extent of her work in Africa. I also discovered this picture of her on the web and somehow, this fragile old lady holding a young African elephant that looks absolutely overpowering and affectionate, made me wonder. This is supposed to be, with the Asian elephant, the horrible beast source of conflicts.
Now, if you consider the Greeks and the Turks, the Chinese and the Japanese, the Zulus and the Boers, the English and the French, etc. you see that we humans, are impossible to live with. Elephants are “in conflict” with us because of our inability to co-exist.
Some may say: “but farmers really suffer from elephants.” This is true. But, first remove the illegal settlements and reduce the provocations (like stopping a car near an elephant). And second consider the fact that nothing is done to organize activities at the regional level (like advising farmers on which crop to grow and helping them to shift to a better kind of agriculture). From my experience, when elephants are undisturbed and not attracted by our food, they are calm and peaceful animals. We see them every day crossing the Trust’s property not bothered one bit by our presence (we slowly come indoors), our noise or even low conversations. Not once in two years have I felt threatened.
As many in conservation biology say, the conflict is actually mostly a human – human conflict and not really a human – wildlife conflict. This is true with all of wildlife all over the world. As far as the elephant is concerned, conflict has a lot to do with management. But can we manage biodiversity if we can’t tolerate our neighbor? Can we do it if we don’t want to help the poor farmers?
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud
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We live near the Masinagudi – Ooty road, coming from Mysore. It is a small road because it crosses protected areas. However, getting out of the jungle on the road, is being caught in a worse type of jungle. During the week, the first vehicle you are likely to encounter is a jeep taxi rushing madly, honking all the way, carrying people who are probably not in a hurry. Your next vehicle will a “vegetable express”, a small truck whose mission in life seems to be providing the Ooty market with unripe material: the speed at which they go prevents any cabbage from reaching maturity. During the weekend, you will meet medium sized buses and SUVs. Which is the most dangerous is difficult to say. Small buses are dangerous by nature because the tourists (who are probably not in a hurry either), need to be offloaded in Ooty for reasons that have been forgotten long ago. Lately, I found that the Toyota Fortuner drivers were particularly bad because, like elephant or tiger experts, they seem to think that the qualities of their pet toy -big, fast, powerful- are transferred to them. They take up the middle of the road, to be skillfully avoided by civilized people.
In spite of the attractive notice boards of the Forest Department: NO parking, NO cooking, NO photography, NO feeding animals, people do just the opposite. Each time we travel to Masinagudi (8 km away), we see a violation of some rules. The speed limit, scantly indicated, is 40 km per hour, to avoid road kills. In an area where tigers seem to be recovering from extinction, no driver is aware that, beyond the speed limit, he can kill a tiger crossing the road. Over speeding is so common that I came to believe that we own the slowest vehicle in the region. People also park their vehicles to picnic the jungle, preferably in front of the NO boards. They leave their trash behind, tease animals and risk their lives. With the present violation of laws, the respective departments can easily earn Rs 1,00,000 per month in fines between Masinagudi and Ooty.
Why being repressive when people need a little bit of freedom (and pay taxes to enjoy the reserves)? With dangerous and at the same time fragile wildlife, there is nothing much to do but apply the law (it is not right now). This brings us to the other part of the question that we must ask as conservation biologists: where are the lucrative infrastructures, activities and locations where people can have a little bit of freedom and fun without creating problems for the environment?
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud
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Large (African) elephant collider. Thanks Martin Colbeck!
Even though we belong to this narrow field of conservation biology, we have an eye on other sciences, including physics. Not a very knowledgeable eye though, don’t ask for explanations. Our vision is sufficient however to know that when facts falsify theories, revolutions happen. This is exactly what happened to Suchitra Sebastian (the serious scientist of the family), condensed matter physicist at the University of Cambridge. She and her colleagues have discovered that samarium hexaboride behaves both as a conductor and an insulator in a way that is still unexplained by theory. This was the first time ever such an explosive news about the properties of matter occurs so closely to us, prompting us to share the joy of this discovery.
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We recently published a paper (link above) on elephant mortality to analyze the causes of elephant mortality in some reserves of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve. Poaching has decreased although it remains a threat, but others such as disease, accidents and “unknown” causes of death are on the rise. The “unknown” cause of death is the second highest after poaching over thirty years and is increasing. Why is that so? All causes of death may not be identifiable when carcasses are highly decomposed. But then, if detection is becoming better, missing the cause of death because of decomposition should decrease. Because of this paradox all efforts should be made to identify better the cause of death and if impossible (in case of advanced decomposition), it should be mentioned in the databases. Plastics, that are so widespread in the reserves, could be an increasing cause of mortality by intestinal blockage and nothing is seriously done to address this pollution. However tedious it may be, some dissection and/or collection of samples should be performed, because “unknown” should not become equivalent to “concealed“. Moreover, database maintenance could easily be improved and made available to the public.
Nous avons récemment publié un article (lien ci-dessus) analysant les causes de la mortalité chez les éléphants dans des réserves de la Réserve de Biosphère des Nilgiris. Nous montrons que le braconnage a baissé, bien que restant une menace, alors que d’autres, tels que les maladies, accidents et causes ‘inconnues’ augmentent. Les causes ‘inconnues’ sont les plus importantes après le braconnage sur environ trente ans et cette catégorie augmente en importance. Pourquoi ? Toutes les causes de mortalité ne peuvent pas être identifiées en cas de décomposition avancée. Mais si la détection s’améliore, le fait de ne pas reconnaître la cause de la mort devrait diminuer. A cause de ce paradoxe, il faut faire au mieux pour identifier la cause et si impossible (en cas de décomposition), le noter dans la base de données. Les plastiques, tellement répandus dans les réserves, peuvent augmenter la mortalité en provoquant des blocages intestinaux, mais rien de sérieux n’est fait pour adresser cette pollution. Aussi difficile que cela puisse être, il faudrait faire quelques dissections et/ou collecter des échantillons, car ‘inconnu’ ne devrait pas devenir synonyme de ‘caché’. De plus, la maintenance de la base de données pourrait aisément être améliorée et disponible pour le public.
Priya Davidar
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I recently went for the pollution control test in Ooty, the Queen of the Hills, in the center of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve. Our jeep is 8 years old and, it is good to know whether or not we choke people when we go to the market in the already over polluted Ooty. Elephants kill approximately 500 people per year in India, but atmospheric pollution results in hundreds of thousand premature deaths in India every year. Consequently, checking vehicles is very, very important. At the testing center, there was a tractor, a new car and our Mahindra jeep. Very nice people, congenial atmosphere, pleasant. A picture was taken of the car’s plate, I paid my Rs 120 and off I went, I was in a hurry. Only driving back to the city center did I realize that no check whatsoever had been done. The emission levels I have on my form are fake. None of the vehicles were actually checked for pollution. These are the news for this week from one of the most important biodiversity hotspots of the Earth.
Je suis allé récemment faire le test anti-pollution à Ooty, la reine de la montagne, dans le centre de la Réserve de Biosphère des Nilgiris. Notre jeep a 8 ans et il est préférable de savoir si nous enfumons les gens lorsque nous allons au marché dans la petite ville super polluée d’Ooty. Les éléphants tuent environ 500 personnes par an en Inde, mais la pollution atmosphérique provoque des centaines de milliers de morts prématurées. En conséquence, vérifier l’émission des véhicules est très très important. Au centre de test, il y avait un tracteur, une nouvelle voiture et notre Boléro. Des gens très gentils, atmosphère détendue, plaisante. Une photo de la plaque d’immatriculation fut prise, j’ai payé mes 120 Rs et en avant, j’étais pressé. Ce n’est qu’en retournant au centre-ville que j’ai réalisé qu’aucun contrôle n’avait été fait. Les niveaux démission sur mon formulaire sont inventés. Aucun des véhicules n’a passé un test. Voilà donc les dernières nouvelles de la semaine, d’un des plus importants ‘points chauds’ de biodiversité de la planète.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud
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We are very happy to announce that our book on elephants is now published. In this book, renown scientists and authors take you to the world of elephants. Meeting elephants needs more kindness that you would imagine, this book can show you how to go.
Nous sommes très heureux d’annoncer la publication de notre livre sur les éléphants. Dans ce volume, des scientifiques et des auteurs de renom vous emmènent dans le monde des éléphants. Rencontrer les éléphants requiert plus de gentillesse que vous pourriez imaginer et ce livre peut vous montrer comment se faire des amis chez les géants. Nous espérons une traduction fançaise… Ce livre est diponible en anglais sur Amazon.
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This is with great joy and relief that we can announce that the Forest Department came to treat the young Cesar (≈15 years). The immobilization was an epic story because the lantana thickets were difficult to penetrate. All the personnel was fantastic, assisted by two superb Forest Department elephants (kumkis). The courageous veterinary doctor removed a piece of wood from the elephant’s foot, injected antibiotics and pain-killer. We now hope Cesar will recover fully and roam the jungle to become its emperor. It is not always possible to treat wild elephants, but whenever possible it should be done as long as the population sex ratio is heavily biased towards females. We thank the dedicated personnel of the Forest Department for this operation very neatly conducted.
C’est avec beaucoup de joie et de soulagement que nous pouvons annoncer que le Departement des Forêts a organisé les soins du jeune César (≈ 15 ans). L’immobilisation fut épique car les bosquets de Lantana forment une végétation dense. Tout le personnel a été fantastique, avec la participation de deux superbes éléphants domestiques (kumkis). The courageux vétérinaire a retiré un morceau de bois de son pied, a injecté des antibiotiques et anti douleurs. Nous espérons maintenant que César va entièrement guérir et parcourir la jungle pour devenir son empereur. Il n’est pas toujours possible de traiter les éléphants sauvages, mais lorsque c’est possible, il faut le faire tant que le sexe ratio penche en faveur des femelles. Nous remercions le personnel du Département des Forêts pour cette opération conduite à la perfection.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud
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On Wednesday morning (10 June 15), we discovered that a young tusker (we call him Cesar) was limping in the bamboo thickets across the Sigur River. He could not use his left hind leg. We called the Forest Department and fairly rapidly, a team of foresters came to observe the elephant. No photograph could be taken because it was already dark when the elephant was seen again.
The next day, rangers and forester came again to locate and observe the elephant. A guard could see him and concluded his leg was infected.
The next day, more foresters came to take pictures to send to the veterinary doctor in Coimbatore.
The next day, more foresters came to take pictures.
Today, Sunday, we went to take more pictures of the elephants, his hind leg is definitely infected.
Every day since Wednesday guards and foresters risked their lives to do their work. And we are still waiting for a decision.
Mercredi matin (10 juin 15), nous avons découvert qu’un jeune éléphant mâle (que nous appelons César), boitait dans les bambous au-delà de la rivière Sigur. Il ne pouvait pas s’appuyer sur sa jambe arrière gauche. Nous avons appelé le Département des Forêts et rapidement, une équipe de forestiers arriva pour observer l’éléphant. Aucune photo n’a pu être prise car il faisant assez sombre quand l’éléphant a été localisé à nouveau.
Le lendemain, les forestiers sont venus à nouveau localiser et observer l’éléphant. Un garde a constaté que sa jambe était infectée.
Le lendemain, encore plus de forestiers sont venus prendre des photos pour les envoyer au vétérinaire à Coimbatore.
Le lendemain, des forestiers sont venus prendre des photos.
Aujourd’hui, dimanche, nous sommes allés prendre encore des photos et la jambe de l’éléphant est certainement bien enflée.
Chaque jour depuis mercredi, des forestiers risquent leur vie et font leur travail. Et pourtant, nous attendons encore une décision.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud
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We have the pleasure to announce the publication of another high profile paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America: “An estimate of the number of tropical tree species.” This paper (see the PNAS website after mid-June 2015) results from an international collaboration of ecologists and was put together by our colleague Ferry Slik of the University of Brunei at Darusallam. Why such a paper? Well, we don’t know yet the number of tree species on Earth. This is a shame (governments are mostly not interested), because we are losing species at a huge rate. At the same rate provoked by the meteorite that destroyed the Dinosaurs. Humans are the cause of a major mass extinction. Is it important for our daily life? No, so far, so good: everything is good before an accident.
Nous avons le plaisir d’annoncer la publication d’un article dans la revue prestigieuse Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America: ‘Estimation du nombre d’espèces d’arbres tropicaux’. Cet article (voir le site PNAS à la mi-juin 2015) résulte d’une collaboration internationale entre écologistes et a été écrit par notre collègue Ferry Slik de l’Université de Brunei à Darusallam. Pourquoi un tel article ? Eh bien figurez-vous qu’on connait encore mal le nombre d’espèces d’arbres à l’échelle de la Terre. C’est une honte (les gouvernements ne sont que symboliquement intéressés), car nous perdons des espèces à un taux élevé. Aussi élevé que celui provoqué par la météorite qui a détruit les Dinosaures. L’humanité est responsable d’une extinction de masse. Est-ce important dans notre vie de tous les jours ? Non, il ne faut pas se plaindre : tout va bien avant un accident.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud
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I am writing those lines after talking to an elephant. It is rather rare these days to talk to a wild elephant: or one lives far away from the jungle or one is fearful in such an encounter. Casius is an elephant I don’t know particularly well. He used to come when he was young to smell the verandah at night. This evening he came at nightfall, a beautiful elephant weighing more than four tons. I started to talk to him. He stopped to listen. For a few minutes he explored, smelled, listened. His body language showed he was relaxed. He trusted me. A human being, in general so aggressive, was telling him he was welcome. He understood. This exchange that is so peculiar, happened, a common understanding that cannot be expressed by words of course. Then he went on to feed. Elephant eat most of the time… I am wondering whether my species will be grand enough to preserve his descendents for another thousand years. I doubt it and I am not proud to be a human.
J’écris ces lignes alors que je viens juste de parler à un éléphant. C’est plutôt rare de nos jours de parler à un éléphant sauvage : soit on vit loin de la jungle, soit on a peur pendant ce genre de rencontre. Picotti est un éléphant que je connais mal. Il venait lorsqu’il était jeune renifler la véranda pendant la nuit. Ce soir il s’est approché la nuit tombante, un bel éléphant de plus de quatre tonnes. J’ai commencé à lui parler. Il s’est arrêté pour écouter. Pendant plusieurs minutes il a exploré, senti, écouté. Ses mouvements montraient qu’il était détendu. Il avait confiance. Un humain, en général si agressif lui disait qu’il était le bienvenu. Il a compris. Il y a eu cet échange si particulier, cette compréhension qui va au-delà des mots bien sûr. Il est parti se nourrir. Les éléphants mangent pratiquement sans cesse… Je me demande si mon espère aura la grandeur de préserver ses descendants pendant encore mille ans. J’en doute et je ne suis pas fier d’être un homme.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud
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We live in the jungle, one kilometer away from the village of Valatottam. For each religious festival, call for prayer and formerly sermons from the other village Mavinhalla, we get DAYS and sometime NIGHTS of noise pollution, up to 60 dB. It is as if someone is with you and talks nonsense to you loudly for hours and hours. This is against the Supreme Court rules because sound affects children in school (100 m from the source), elderly people, sick patients, and increases blood pressure of other victims. It is a permanent disturbance for wildlife and tourists who pay expensive eco-lodges to get the “authentic experience” of a life in a noisy suburb. Regulations are just not implemented and the majority of people suffer in… silence. Look at the video:
http://youtu.be/lIQ7btLnREI.
Nous vivons dans la jungle à un kilomètre du village de Valatottam. A chaque festival religieux, appel à la prière et sermon provenant, il y a quelques années, de l’autre village Mavinhalla, nous subissons NUIT et JOUR la pollution sonore, mesurée jusqu’à 60 dB. C’est un peu comme si une personne vous accompagnait toute la journée et vous parlait à haute voix. Ces pratiques sont à l’encontre des jugements de la Cour Suprême, car le son affecte les enfants à l’école (à 100 m de la source), les personnes âgées, les malades et augmente la pression artérielle des autres victimes. C’est une perturbation permanente pour les animaux sauvages et les touristes qui paient à prix fort les éco-lodges qui leur font partager une “expérience authentique” de la vie de banlieue bruyante. La loi n’est pas appliquée et la majorité des gens souffrent en… silence. Regardez la vidéo:
Wild brinjal plants were very much a part of the Cheetal Walk neighborhood. These small prickly shrubs with round green fruits streaked with white, sprouted up after the rains. The tribals cooked and ate the fruits, and we tried them out as well. However, the significance of the wild brinjal (Solanum insanum), which is a close relative of cultivated brinjal (Solanum melongena) became apparent only a few years ago when my friend Allison Snow, a Professor at Ohio State University, who evaluates risk assessment for genetically modified crops, asked me to collaborate on a study to assess potential for hybridization between wild and cultivated brinjal. The proposal to introduce Bt brinjal in India was being advocated as a solution to counter pest attack. India is one of the countries cited as a centre of origin of the brinjal and therefore we would need to assess whether the transgene could potentially spread to wild populations. We found that wild brinjal and cultivated brinjal co-occur in many places and share pollinators thereby increasing the likelihood of inter-specific hybridization, and hybrids produce viable offspring (http://www.amjbot.org/content/102/1/129.full.pdf+html). The close genetic affinity between cultivars and nearby wild/weedy brinjal at some locations indicates that gene flow is likely to have occurred between them via pollination, seed dispersal, and/or shared ancestry (http://www.amjbot.org/content/102/1/140.full.pdf+html). We concluded that if transgenic Bt brinjal were to be introduced, it could compromise efforts to maintain wild germplasm that is “GM-free”.
L’aubergine sauvage fait partie de Cheetal Walk. Ces petits arbrisseaux épineux à fruits ronds rayés de blanc germent après les pluies. Les tribaux cuisinent ces fruits que nous avons aussi essayé. L’importance de cette aubergine sauvage (Solanum insanum), proche parente de l’aubergine cultivée (Solanum melongena) est devenue apparente lors de la visite de mon amie Allison Snow, Professeur à l’Université d’Etat de l’Ohio, qui évalue les risques environnementaux associés aux plantes génétiquement modifiées et m’a demandé de participer à une étude pour mesurer le potentiel d’hybridisation entre la variété sauvage et la variété cultivée. L’introduction de l’aubergine modifiée en Inde est proposée comme solution contre les attaques d’insectes. L’Inde est aussi l’un des pays centre d’origine de l’aubergine et en conséquences, il est important de vérifier s’il n’y a pas de risque de transmettre les gènes modifiés aux populations sauvages. Nous avons montré que les aubergines sauvages et cultivées se trouvaient ensemble en de nombreux endroits, partageaient des polinisateurs qui augmentent les possibilités d’hybridisation interspécifique et nous avons aussi montré que les hybrides produisent des descendants viables ((http://www.amjbot.org/content/102/1/129.full.pdf+html). La proche parenté entre cultivars et plantes sauvages et la proximité indique que l’échange de gènes est possible (http://www.amjbot.org/content/102/1/140.full.pdf+html). Si l’aubergine modifiée est introduite, elle pourrait empêcher la conservation de l’aubergine sauvage.
Priya Davidar
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The center of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve. Last week I went to the next village Masinagudi and ate in a “hotel”. The restaurant is attached to a resort promising to arrange “your next jungle adventure” and it belongs, I believe, to a rich guy. I ate my uninspiring parottas with a cold bacteria-laced vegetable gravy, looking at posters of fake, suburban relationship with wildlife. Then, what do I see entering the restaurant? A man with a headload of wood. It was an epiphany: restaurants, resorts, and schools use wood: it’s free! It is official, everyone knows it! The local foresters cannot NOT know it. I paid my bill disgusted: I consumed bad food, paid for the gas (but the money would go in the pocket of a rich guy) and worse, I ate the jungle.
Le centre de la Réserve de Biosphère des Nilgiris. La semaine dernière je suis allé à Masinagudi et j’ai ‘mangé’ dans un restaurant. Ce restaurant dépend d’une chaine qui promet d’arranger ‘votre nouvelle aventure dans la jungle’ et appartient, je crois à un homme riche. J’ai donc mangé mes parottas discutables avec une sauce froide et chargées de bactéries en regardant un poster évoquant une relation frelatée avec la nature. Puis, qu’est-ce que je vois entrer dans le restaurant ? Une personne portant du bois. Ce fut une révélation : les restaurants, hôtels, écoles, brûlent tous du bois : c’est gratuit ! C’est officiel, tout le monde le sait ! Les forestiers ne peuvent pas ne pas l’ignorer. J’ai payé ma facture dégoûté : j’ai mangé un mauvais repas, payé pour le gaz (le bénéfice ira au patron) et pire, j’ai mangé la jungle.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud
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In April 2015 Priya Davidar (Trustee) was at Zürich for the Annual Meeting of the Society for Tropical Ecology (GTOE) to present a paper titled: The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus L.) in southern India: a local success is not a licence to kill. This is a follow up of the two studies by Dr. Raman Sukumar (Sukumar, 1998; Chelliah, Bukka and Sukumar, 2013) on the population dynamics model that was used to calculate population structure, the number of poached elephants. He also says that the model would make culling possible in the sense that the consequence on population structure would be known. Our paper on the contrary concludes that with available data, the model does not give reliable outcomes. Moreover, culling an endangered species? Were all other solutions examined?
En avril 2015, Priya Davidar (Trustee) était à Zürich pour la Réunion annuelle de la Society for Tropical Ecology (GTOE) afin de présenter un artile: l’éléphant d’Asie (Elephas maximus L.) en Inde du sud: un succès local ne donne pas le permis de tuer. C’est une réponse à deux études entreprises par le Dr. Raman Sukumar (Sukumar, 1998; Chelliah, Bukka et Sukumar, 2013) sur un modèle de dynamique des populations utilisé pour calculer la structure de population et le nombre d’éléphants braconnés. Il affirme aussi que ce modèle permet l’élimination d’éléphants problématiques en ce sens que le modèle peut calculer l’effet de la mort des éléphants sur la structure de la population. Notre article au contraire montre qu’avec les données disponibles, le modèle n’est pas précis. De plus, tuer des éléphants en danger ? Est-ce que toutes les autres solutions ont été examinées ?
Chelliah, Karpagam, Harshvardhan Bukka, and Raman Sukumar. 2013. “Modeling Harvest Rates and Numbers from Age and Sex Ratios: A Demonstration for Elephant Populations.” Biological Conservation 165 (September): 54–61. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2013.05.008.
Sukumar, Raman, Uma Ramakrishnan, and J A Santosh. 1998. “Impact of Poaching on an Asian Elephant Population in Periyar, Southern India: A Model of Demography and Tusk Harvest.” Animal Conservation 1: 281–291.
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In these pages, we will tell you what it is to live in the jungle. You may not know why we do this and if you are curious, look at our website. We are ecologists, biologists, to make it short. So what is it so special to live in the jungle? Well, the point is that there is nothing special. We take no risk and the adventures are that of peaceful, friendly encounters. The real thrill is not provoked by adrenaline but by exchanges. The elephant will know us by smell, the tiger will ignore us, the wild dog will growl at us, some mongooses will follow us inside the house, the spotted deer will graze peaceful, the wild boar will look at us attentively, the babbler will beg for food. We are friendly but always free.
Dans ces textes, nous allons vous dire ce que c’est la vie dans la jungle. Vous ne savez peut-être pas pourquoi on fait ça et si vous êtes curieux, regardez notre site web. Nous sommes écologistes, biologistes pour faire court. Qu’est-ce qu’il y a donc de si spécial à vivre dans la jungle ? Eh bien, rien, c’est le point que l’on veut montrer. Nous ne prenons pas de risque et les aventures sont celles de rencontres paisibles et amicales. L’émotion n’est pas provoquée par l’adrénaline mais pas des échanges. L’éléphant nous connait par l’odeur, le tigre nous ignore, le chien sauvage grogne, certaines mangoustes nous suivent à l’intérieur de la maison, le cerf broute paisiblement, le sanglier nous observe attentivement, l’oiseau (babbler) quémande des graines. Nous sommes amis mais toujours libres.
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A team of the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) (https://www.ncbs.res.in/) is establishing one-ha plot in the Sigur Nature Trust’s premises to study tree productivity. Tree productivity is an important aspect of the carbon dynamics in the continuum plant-soil-atmosphere. As carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, such studies feed climatic models with useful data. Moreover, this is probably the first such study in the Sigur Region and we are proud to have facilitated it. This is an example of how NGOs can contribute to fundamental research on the environment.
Une équipe du National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) a établi une parcelle d’un hectare sur le terrain du Sigur Nature Trust pour étudier la productivité des arbres. La productivité arborée est un aspect important de la dynamique du carbone dans le continuum plante-sol-atmosphère. Comme le dioxyde de carbone est un gaz à effet de serre, ce genre d’étude produit des données utiles qui entrent dans les modèles climatiques. De plus, c’est probablement la première fois qu’une telle étude a lieu dans la région de Sigur et nous sommes fiers de la soutenir. C’est un exemple de la manière dont les ONG peuvent contribuer à la recherche fondamentale sur l’environnement.
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Frankham et al. 2014. Biological Conservation, 170, 56–63.This analysis indicates that the genetically effective population size of 50 breeding adults is not adequate to reduce the effects of inbreeding depression, and the numbers required are more than 100 individuals to prevent inbreeding depression over five generations in the wild. The minimum numbers for retaining evolutionary potential for fitness should be more than 1000 breeding adults rather than the 500 that has been postulated. The authors state that this genetic information requires that population viability analysis should be suitably revised to be more effective in conservation of endangered species. This paper is of vital importance for the conservation of our large mammals such as the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) and the Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) that are severely affected by habitat loss and poaching in the subcontinent.
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Li et al. 2014. Conservation Biology 28, 87-94.The snow leopard (Panthera uncia), and endangered species, is found in mountainous areas in 12 Central Asian countries. It is threatened by poaching, lack of prey and habitat degradation. A study in the Sanjiangyuan region of the Tibetan plateau investigated the role of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in snow leopard conservation. Results show that 46% of monasteries were located in snow leopard habitat and 90% were within 5 km of snow leopard habitat. Therefore the 336 monasteries in this region could potentially protect 8342 km2 of snow leopard habitat through social norms and active patrols. Local herders who through their religious beliefs against killing animals could play an important role in snow leopard conservation. If this can be extended to monasteries in other Tibetan Buddhist regions, about 80% of the global range of snow leopards could be better protected.
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Stankowich et al. 2014. Evolution doi 10.1111/evo.12356 (2014).Small predatory mammals in the order Carnivora are often subject to high rates of predation. A global scale analysis indicates that their adaption against predation comes under two categories: small carnivores that tend to be solitary, with warning coloration (i. e. skunks) and armed with foul smelling anal sprays, or social such as the mongooses and highly vigilant. Species with noxious sprays such as skunks tend to be nocturnal and are often preyed upon by mammals, whereas the social species such as mongooses tend to be diurnal, highly vigilant and are preyed upon by birds of prey.
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If you want to be told about worldwide issues on conservation, we recommend you the ALERT website. It was put together by the famous conservation biologist Bill Laurance joined by a team of eminent and active scientists. The website is:
Davidar, one of the founders of the Sigur Nature Trust died recently. Mark’s closeness with animals was not his only contribution to wildlife conservation. Most importantly he cared about the Sigur Nature Trust, a place of unique importance because it allows the passage of wildlife on private land in between two villages, near the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. The Sigur Nature Trust was founded by E.R.C. Davidar and his children, Priya, Mark and Peter. For more than 20 years Mark made sure that animals could cross and not be hampered by much human presence.
After he worked with Rom Whittaker at the Snake Park in Chennai, Mark established a small guest house in the family premises. One of Mark’s friends said he was like a dictator: he would not allow telephone, torches, noise. People had to obey strict rules to enjoy the marvels of nature from the safety of the veranda. It was an exceptional vantage point of view for education, a sort of real-life interpretation center.
The experiment Mark developed over more than two decades is of particular significance. The Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve where the Trust is located, is of central standing to the conservation network of southern India. It harbors one of the largest population of Asian elephant in the world and a lot of tigers as well. We can only hope that this region of exceptional beauty and biological wealth will develop into a flagship of outstanding environmental management in Asia.
To mitigate the human – wildlife conflict, we need a multitude of novel and bold experiments. Take Mark’s modest guest house for example. It can be an inspiration for the entire eco-tourism industry because it was a model on how not to disturb wildlife and still enjoy it.
Mark demonstrated we can live at peace with wildlife. We, as a family, share this vision. We will pursue the mission where Mark left it, as well as we can. The Sigur Nature Trust is a living experiment destined to create a vision for the future, based on a peaceful and knowledgeable interaction with nature. All of Mark friends can rest assured that “Mark’s place” will remain as it is. The elephants will continue to be at home. And our most fervent wish is that other people get inspired by what he has achieved and helped the Trust to achieve. For this, we are immensely grateful.
Davidar, the former Managing Trustee of the Sigur Nature Trust, ran a small guest house, Jungle Trails on the property’s land. The guest house was closed, when Mark fell ill, for several reasons. Firstly, we do not have expertise with tourism and safety issues are important when the public is concerned. Secondly, as the Forest Department was treating a wounded elephant and so we were requested to have as few people as possible in the premises in order to avoid further habituation to humans. We gladly complied with this request and the property is now closed to the public.
Right now we are trying to set-up the Trust’s procedures, website, establish research projects. This is the program for the following year and we hope to put more pictures, more videos, more news, etc.
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A Saturday afternoon somewhere in British India, in September 1913, just one year before the Great War (as if it could ever be great), two Englishmen were talking:
-“What are you doing tomorrow, Jack?”
-“Nothing much, I thought about shooting a tiger or two.”
-“Don’t mind if I joined? I would be excited to go for an elephant myself.”
-“No, please, you are welcome, we will take along some brandy.”
A Saturday afternoon in September 2013 in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve, one day before Kumar, a villager, was killed by a frightened elephant while taking tourists illegally into a Reserved Forest, this was the conversation between two IT specialists:
-“What are you doing tomorrow, man?”
-“Nothing much da, I thought of a night jeep safari and before, a trek from the eco-resort.”
-“You don’t mind if I joined? I would be excited to come close to an elephant.”
-“No, please, you are welcome, we will have some booze as well.”
In 1913 there were tens of thousands tigers and hundreds of thousand elephants in India. Today tigers are little more than 1,000 and elephants maybe ca. 20,000. The difference between sport hunting and predatory tourism is that – no wait, there is no difference. You end-up killing the last tigers by disturbing them, you put yourself in danger and worse, you get people killed. In wildlife reserves, avoid all activity that is not supervised by trained and authorized persons.
When you live in the middle of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve, you need to be very careful with plastic because herbivores eat plastic bags and die of intestinal occlusion. In spite of the righteous boards “Plastic-free Nilgiris” placed on each road entering the Nilgiris, locally produced items are conscientiously wrapped in a layer of plastic and then delivered in a polythene bag thought to be cotton. Industrial products, of course, are almost always packaged in plastic. A single household produces maybe 1 kg of plastic per week.
I thought that, if plastic is produced in this region, it must be “treated”. As it happened, not at all. Plastic is burned by villagers or buried or left. Toxins released into the air contaminate plants, soil, surface water and groundwater. This can result in pollutants being absorbed by food crops, vegetation. Dioxins and furans occur as byproducts. Dioxin, is linked to cancer in humans, and dioxins and furans both accumulate in animal tissue. Reported effects on birds and fish, include increased mortality, decreased growth, reproductive failure and birth defects.
The “Plastic-free Nilgiris” campaign is supposed to suggest that this region forbids the use of plastic, which would be unattainable. But what it actually means is that the plastic problem is not addressed. It kills humans with cancer, pollutes the Ooty carrots and Nilgiris tea, and whatever is exposed to it. Who cares?
Plastic is a resource that can be reused and preferably less used. But as long as there is no real action, waste of resources, human lives and biodiversity will continue. The roads to Ooty with boards posting good intentions take us to hell. Too bad for the Biosphere Reserve.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud.
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Rivaldo, lucky to survive with his trunk cut after being fed by humans
Sharing food is natural among people who are close to each other, in the same family or not so close to each other, just because we belong to the same human family after all. Sharing food is a sign of friendliness. Most domestic animals were probably domesticated by sharing food with them. The trouble is that in some instance, it creates a lot of problems.
Elephants like any other animals become habituated to being fed. At the beginning, all is well. They go away. Then, they start demanding food. Elephants have a large appetite and need approximately 100 kg of food per day. Habituated elephants do not roam the jungle any more. As they find food in a particular place, they do not bother any more to explore as they normally do. They destroy all vegetation in their vicinity, accelerating their own starvation.
Habituated elephants lose their fear of humans and try to break into houses in search of fruits, vegetables and cereals. Not all people are welcoming to elephants. To defend themselves or just out of fear people will start screaming, and put their lives in danger. Alternatively, they may take a weapon and harm the elephants.
We have seen such development time after time. Our friend Rivaldo (see our videos) was extremely lucky. He became habituated, and probably went to a house where the tip of his trunk was cut. He was extremely lucky to survive. Without treatment, he would have died. Roberto Carlos was less lucky. A miscreant shot the animal in the leg and the he died of septicemia after weeks of atrocious suffering.
When you feed an elephant, you want to be friendly, but you invariably provoke the premature death of the animal. So never feed elephants.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud.
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Nilgiri Pollution Reserve
/in Blogs/by administratorThe land of the tiger
I always loved the Sigur Region in the middle of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve. People are nice and nature magnificent. You will find here a diversity of traditional cultures, beautiful jungles with tigers and elephants. Still, if you are interested in culture or nature and you envisage to visit this region, think twice.
The jungle is littered with plastics and replete with cattle. Loudspeakers are in all villages (a blatant ignorance Supreme Court orders) blasting their awful popular music up to three kilometers in the jungle, days and nights for weeks. Roads are loaded with speeding, honking or picnicking cars. For a few hundred Rupees (more), your driver can annoy a herd of elephants to make a female charge. You can flash a tiger at night, with the satisfaction that you have endangered this species more, a princely pleasure. Chance is that bonfires will be with forest wood or the “food” (it’s for tourists) you eat in the village has also been cooked with forest wood. If there is left over, you can throw it to an elephant.
If you like responsible ecotourism (I may be tired with continuous “music” for the last few days), wait and see if it improves.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud
Hall of Fame
/in Blogs/by administratorIt is an immense honor to announce that E. R. C. Davidar, the founder of the Sigur Nature Trust, has joined eminent foresters and conservationists in the Hall of Fame of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department.The inauguration of the Hall of Fame was organized on the 31st January 2016, in the Panagal Building and inaugurated by Thiru M. S. M. Anandan, the Minister of Environment and Forests, Government of Tamil Nadu, Thiru Hans Raj Verma, I.A.S, Principal Secretary to the Government, Dr. Krishna Kumar, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and HOD, and Dr. V. K. Melkani, PCCF and Chief Wildlife Warden.
The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has opened a Hall of Fame at its headquarters in Chennai, where photographs and works of legendary forest officers and conservationists have been displayed.The team identified 20 officers and five well-known conservationists.
E.R.C. Davidar is remembered in particular, for undertaking the first survey of the Nilgiri tahr over its entire range, conducting the first study in India on elephant corridors and taking an active part in the protection of the Nilgiris.
Dr. Priya Davidar, Managing Trustee of the Sigur Nature Trust, participated to the inauguration. Following the example set by her father, she recalled that it is imperative to preserve wildlife if our civilization is to survive. In this effort, the involvement of society is crucial, as acknowledged by the Hall of Fame where distinguished foresters are in the company of dedicated citizens.
Times of India has dedicated an article to this event:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Tamil-Nadu-forest-dept-opens-hall-of-fame-in-Chennai/articleshow/50795638.cms
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud.
Catastrophic loss of fishes in Sigur Halla
/in Blogs/by administratorThe “Sigur “River”, a former ecosystem, source of protein for Tribal people and water for wildlife.
When we first settled into Cheetal Walk in the 1960’s, the favorite activity of my siblings and myself, encouraged by our father of course, was catching fish in the Sigur River or Sigur Halla. There were all sorts and sizes of fish. My father used to go to the larger pools with a bamboo rod, line and worms dug up near the kitchen, to catch some carp for dinner. In fact, the tribal woman working for us said quite sadly one day: “poor man is catching fish so that his family can eat.” Those were the fish those days, sometimes reaching a few kilos in weight.
In 1968 everything changed: the river went dry. This was because of the construction of the Pykhara dam in the upper reaches of the river, increasing agricultural activity and diversion of water downstream. There were fish of all types and shapes and colors flopping around on the sand or dying in the pools. The river was fetid with the smell of dead fish. Many animals enjoyed this special treat, but the elephants were distraught by the lack of clean water. They dug wells in the river bed and waited patiently for the water to rise up to drink. We went fishing with the tribal children and caught some of the larger fish. We even caught an enormous eel well over a meter in length weighing about 10 kg.
The Sigur Halla started drying up every year and the fish disappeared. After the rains I would go to the river and see fingerlings emerging from the eggs that had been deposited in the sand. This continued for a few years and we enjoyed fishing with bedsheets, catching the small fish and putting them in an aquarium. My brother Mark used to have two aquaria in the 1990’s with some of the river fish. We used to put some in our well. Our well held water even in the dry season, although the level was very low. We had not been to Cheetal Walk for many years except for short spells, and when we moved there in 2013, the river had just become a storm drain with red muddy water only flowing during the rains. When peering into the well, I noticed one fish: a species of murrell (Channa spp.) also called snakehead, at the surface of the water. Seeing its sad lonely life, I thought it was the sole survivor of the fishes we had put inside the well. There were several species of murrell in the river, but now I never saw even one. During the rains this year I looked again for fingerlings. No luck.
I was determined to find a companion for our lonely murrell, so I asked our cook, who is a tribal person from this region, to find me some river fish. He said that none of the rivers in the region, Anaikatti, Sigur or Mavinhalla had even one fish. All had disappeared due to the drastic change in flow patterns. This got me really worried. He reiterated that there were plenty of fish forty years ago but all had gone. About 25 or more fish species became extinct in the Sigur Halla.
Then a few days ago we wanted to clean the well and noticed more than one fish in the well. What joy! The Murrell was not alone. Maybe we need to examine old wells and other permanent water bodies (if any) in the region to re-stock the Sigur Halla if it ever recovers from the colossal negligence and indifference it has suffered from human hands. To make the River flow again, we need to be sure there is a minimum amount of water at all times, and young ecologists who take its future in their hands.
Priya Davidar.
Sauron in real life
/in Blogs/by administratorIt is now more than two years that we have been in charge of the Sigur Nature Trust. The experience was at first exciting: to be in the middle of elephants and wildlife is something irreplaceable. But then I started to understand what is going on in the Sigur Region and this silenced me for some time. I was busy as well, but ultimately traumatized because I have lost hope that we can improve conservation of species.
Everyone has seen or read “The Lord of the Rings”. Sauron could revive because the corruption of men. To end evil seemed impossible because every time anyone got Sauron’s ring, fell to his power. The task to destroy Sauron was impossible. But the fairy tale happy development was due to a lucky accident: the addition of two “greeds”, that of Frodo and that of Gollum, lead to the destruction of the ring.
I know a lot of good people in the Sigur Region among all segments of the population. But these people don’t matter. The general consensus by those who matter, is to make money. Everyone, in all administrations use the law to this purpose. Patrolling and enforcement are non-existent, unless useful to get bribes or when absolutely required by circumstances. This is not due to a lack of training, lack of funds or poverty. What you observe is an insane waste of resources, erosion of ecological processes by the enrichment of a few at the expense of the others.
The addition of “greeds” cannot logically nurture a happy ending in reality. The elephants are going down again with poaching and us with them: look at the conditions of the planet. We are not in a fairy tale and the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat are poisons. How to stop a mindless search for gold when the world itself is all rust?
If more people don’t get involved in the state of the world, eventually the world next door, we will have difficult awakenings. The Baghavad Gita said something like: the most astonishing about men is that they live their lives as if they were eternal. A modern version could be: the most astonishing about men is that they live their lives as if their impact on the world never mattered. This is a quasi-total denial of Karma particularly by people in power. And I am afraid we will have to split humanity in two: those who fight without hope and those who live happy in hell.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud
The worst killer pleads non-guilty
/in Blogs/by administratorI got this image from ConservatioBytes.com, the blog of an eminent ecologist, Corey Bradshaw.
http://conservationbytes.com/2015/10/13/only-thing-worse-than-being-labelled-deadly-is-not-being-called-anything-at-all/
It originated from Bill Gates’s blog, from WHO data and various other official agencies, with wide margin of errors. Bill Gates is interested in mosquito borne diseases, we are interested in elephants.
http://www.gatesnotes.com/Health/Most-Lethal-Animal-Mosquito-Week
If the figure had taken pollution (the outcome of some people’s greed) into consideration, then millions of people are killed every year by other humans, according to a study in Environmental Research Letters (doi:10.1088/1748-9326/8/3/034005), which makes us and by far, the most dangerous animal species on earth. Sorry for the mosquitoes.
These considerations help us to bring the human-elephant conflict back to reality. In general, this problem is presented out of proportion by the media. Why? Not because of its relative importance but because of its populistic appeal: “the authorities called experts to address the problem”, do we read. It looks serious and elephants are easy targets.
The most important causes of mortality like pollution, rash driving and various forms of safety issues (lack of warnings on road repairs; live electric wires on pavements, distribution of unsafe water, lack of application of buildings norms, unhygienic restaurants, etc.) are ignored because it would fix responsibilities on the perpetuators. And laissez-faire is the rule if you don’t want to punish the (human) culprits.
Laissez-faire is also the rule for elephants because we don’t want to punish the (human) culprits either. If you believe that the hundreds of human deaths by elephants are due to the nasty nature of these animals, you are mistaken. Many “conflicts” are “accidents” where people did not respect the law (you can’t enter into protected areas for example, but this is not strictly enforced) and many other “conflicts” are the consequence of the lack of management (unregulated constructions in corridors, inappropriate agricultural practices, forest encroachments). Very few people are killed intentionally by “vicious” elephants, although it does happen. In the region where we live, human deaths due to elephants are mostly because due to carelessness.
The consequence of the lack of application of the law is the eventual extinction of the Asian elephant. It is the easy way to avoid our responsibilities.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud.
Mad versus Wild
/in Blogs/by administratorThere is a TV program called “Man versus Wild” were one or two guys run around frantically in remote places to “survive” in the wild, with a TV crew around them to ensure the show goes according to schedule. I wonder how imaginative the producers must be, to find such fantastic (fake) stories to tell, because tribals in India live or used to live in the wild and don’t have half the problems this show seems to unearth in the face of a decidedly adverse nature.
I live in the jungle (with moderate comfort) but share some of the experience of the natives. Most of my life is quiet, peaceful, with animals who know me, interspersed with a few rare moments of tragedy when a prey is caught. I frankly see no opposition between man and nature, on the contrary, deep, beautiful bonds that reach some of our wild friends, a few mongooses, elephants, babblers, one or two wild boar.…
Now I just come from my second home, Pondicherry, with a trip to Chennai. There, I find noise, terror on the road, constant anger, absurd competition, and struggle in an ugly, polluted world. Then TV displays unbridled violence with virtual killing of millions, interspersed with reminders from the industry that it is okay to be greedy, jealous, unnaturally muscular, permanently “beautiful”, but that we can stuff ourselves with junk. And as if we needed to be even more insane, we have at your disposal many channels where superstition and money are worshipped together.
The reason we have to make and watch programs such as “Man versus Wild” is because our perception of reality is so altered that we can’t even accept nature as it is. We have to make is as bad as we are with our fabricated banal sensationalism. We are losing our marbles and we should call this particular program “Mad versus Wild” to regain some senses.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud.
Here is the dead baby elephant, 21 Sept. 15, Bandipur.
/in Blogs/by administratorI usually complain about Mr. Peter Davidar taking photographs. Little did I know he was with his camera when we were witnessing the incident of a baby elephant killed. Here are his photographs – I won’t complain any more.
Vehicles waiting for elephants, including the tanker (see our previous post).
Mother with dead baby.
Dead baby elephants evaporate from statistics.
/in Blogs/by administratorOn 21 Sept. 15, we saw a dead baby elephant on the Mysore – Gudalur highway at 4:30 pm inside the Bandipur Tiger Reserve, 2 – 3 km before the border with Tamil Nadu. Minutes earlier, we saw a Karnataka State Corporation bus rushing at an insane speed. No other car coming in the opposite direction had any sign of collision with a large animal. We were the first to inform the border check post of the Karnataka Forest Department and immediately after us, the driver of a tanker provided the same information in our presence, of a dead baby elephant. Half an hour later, we were informed that no such incident had happened (the hit and run accident with a baby elephant). A day later we “heard” there was a hit and run case at the same time on 21st September which killed a baby elephant but the Karnataka Forest Department claims it was in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. What is the real story? Are there any other witnesses?
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud.
Rivaldo being treated.
/in Blogs/by administratorRivaldo is a symbol
As the readers of the Hindu know, (http://m.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/friendly-jumbo-injured-again/article7631100.ece) Rivaldo, the emblematic elephant of the Sigur Range, Nilgiris, has been attacked by another tusker and hurt. For ten days, the Forest Department staff including the Thepakaddu veterinary doctor and the Singara Range Officer supervised the treatment operation at the Sigur Nature Trust premises. The operation was non-traumatic for the elephant because he was not captured as Rivaldo has already been treated in the Sigur Nature Trust premises, he was easily brought back by a Forest Guard who regularly looks after him. Antibiotics and nutrients were delivered in fruits. Since Rivaldo is very docile, the wounds could be sprayed with various medicines, in a relatively safe environment.
The treatment was effective and Rivaldo’s wounds regressed. However, treatments without capture present the inconvenience that wounds cannot be cleaned directly and sutured. The healing is slower and the Forest Department staff and all Rivaldo’s friends will follow him up till the wounds are healed.
Treating an elephant is a remarkable operation involving approximately 15 staff members for ten days, plus the cost of medicine and food to maintain the elephant focused without stressing him. Some guards need to be very close to the elephant, feeding him by hand. Other personnel, including the veterinary doctor take enormous (but controlled) risks approaching the elephant on the side. These operations require expertise and are relatively dangerous for the public, as the elephant remains free of its movement.
All wild elephants cannot be treated because in principle, they are supposed to survive in natural conditions provided by protected areas, where they sometimes meet with accidents, infections, predators etc. and die of natural death. But as tuskers have been heavily poached, it is good management practice to treat the easier cases. Moreover, some animals, like Rivaldo, become emblematic – the symbol of humanity’s love towards elephants. In a world where Asian elephant are endangered according to the IUCN, it is comforting to see dedicated attention extended towards elephants.
During the whole operation, Rivaldo has been calm and gentle. He is a real foody and no one knows for sure if he understood why he was treated with jackfruits, sugarcane and other candy-like food. But all witness to this operation can testify that Rivaldo was delighted of the attention he received, slowly closing his eyes when his favorite guard petted him. At the end of each day, he had his five minutes of absolute peace with humanity and it was beautiful to see.
Our desire here is to inform, without being sensational (hence the absence of names, except that of Rivaldo) and without attempting to express any expert opinion. We were host of this operation, our opinion cannot be that of a professional veterinary doctor. However, we want to pay homage to the Forest Department staff who was present for 10 continuous days, during the week ends or festivals. Without their dedication, Rivaldo may not have survived. We are grateful for their effort.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud.
Rivaldo, the hero of our folly.
/in Blogs/by administratorRivaldo sleeping
Rivaldo made it to the national news in this article: Tusker won’t leave village that treated him.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/tusker-wont-leave-village-that-treated-him/article7580650.ece
Rivaldo is a friendly elephant. Too friendly. Rivaldo has been habituated and fed long time ago by people who did not know what they were doing and then used this elephant for their entertainment – and income. Like most habituated elephants, he became confident with humans, probably visited a house and got its trunk cut. He could have died but he was treated. Other elephants were not so lucky: Roberto Carlos was fed – and shot in the leg. Cafu was fed – and shot. There is very little reason why Rivaldo should be grateful to humans, because he got his share of stones and fireworks. If we could teach him, we would ask him to stay as far as possible from humans. Even though journalists are trying to show elephants in a good light (elephants are nice), sensationalism gets the better. Unfortunately, it turns out that this was not such a heart-warming story. It is another banal, chilling example of human idiocy, cruelty and cynicism. Rivaldo is slowly becoming a circus elephant, fed by anything tourists will leave behind. His territory has become small and instead of roaming the jungle like his ancestors did, he explores wastelands. If you love wild animals, leave them alone. In the photograph attached, admire Rivaldo sleeping and see for yourself: we don’t disturb him. He comes and goes as he wishes and we don’t feed him. He is our wild friend and we respect his freedom. He is not our pet.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud.
Nature is sacred: start worshiping at home.
/in Blogs/by administratorWe have often been told: “this place is sacred, keep it as it is” about Cheetal Walk. In a way, it reveals that people associate pristine nature with sacredness. Cheetal Walk however is nothing like pristine. For millennia, people have inhabited this area, hunted, cultivated, cut trees and herded cattle. It looks pristine today because it remained untouched for a few generations, and because we have decided to protect it.
Einstein, I believe, once said something like: “or everything is sacred or nothing is sacred.” People may consider nature to be sacred because it is the source of our very lives. Wild animals are beautiful, natural landscapes are absolutely gorgeous and intelligence seems to flow from every corner. The more we learn, the more we see how the law of nature produces a machinery compared to which our modern technology is child’s play.
But the same people who appreciate nature’s “sanctity” (maintained by private people, communities or governments), find no contradiction in getting into their SUVs, driving back on mad roads into overpopulated cities, work in small offices and live in boxes. This is modern lifestyle, you cannot do anything about it, there is no choice…
The problem is not so much that life is difficult in a polluted, inhuman reality. We are all there. The problem lies in the schizophrenia we have developed about nature, the separations we have built. On the one side, we have our busy cities where we are active, smart and make money, and on the other side, we have a “pleasant” stetting to unwind and relax. Today, the holy-day (also supposed to be dedicated to the sacred) is used to consume the remaining wild, to desecrate our world a little more with activities that do not differ from our routine: I want money, I want to achieve, I want to see a tiger, I want a selfie with an elephant, I want a bonfire, I want to see a charge, I want to see animals at night, I want a good road to get there, I want a spa, etc.
Now, if you consider everything to be sacred, then your office is sacred, your flat or house is sacred, your car is sacred. From all these gadgets, emerge a relationship with nature. So why not use a little bit of your hard-earned money to help conservation? Why not put some (rustic) tomatoes to grow on your balcony? Why not purchase a convenient car that pollutes less? Why not preserve an untouched space in your garden? Why not have a holy-day in a good eco-resort that tries to preserve nature instead of destroying it (this is hard to find and if you check, you will see that this industry has abysmal records to the point of destroying their very source of survival).
Next time you tell a guy that nature is sacred, if you do this, he will consider you to be a saint instead of a worshiper of futilities.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud.
Surviving the charge of a duck
/in Blogs/by administratorA terrifying duck charge
As I am often far from Pondicherry where we live, my wife purchased three ducks for company. One male duck is territorial and charges. I have seen our servant giving him a good whack with a stick (she was told not to hit the duck) because she is frightened of him, even though he is a perfectly innocuous animal. Its bite is nothing more than a tickle. However, I was also charged and observed that I felt a strong reaction. A duck weights two kilos and a human-being sixty kilos. A human-being is thirty times heavier than a duck. In the same manner an elephant is tens of times bigger than a human being, but would feel a bolt of emotions if anyone goes directly towards it.
In my opinion, there are four situations pertaining to encounters with elephants or other wildlife: the animal is unaware of human presence, aware but comfortable, uncomfortable, and sufficiently disturbed to flee or charge. I am talking of situations instead of distance because one can be very close to animals but undetected if our scent does not waft towards them. Response distances also varies with sex and conditions. Female elephants with babies are extremely aggressive and will be uncomfortable with humans as soon as they detect them.
With wildlife, responsible people will not go to the extent of disturbing animals. It is unethical to ask jeep drivers to provoke an elephant to charge, and photographers should not disturb birds roosting or nesting. Wildlife observation by itself provides sufficient pleasure when animals are left to their own devises. Beautiful encounters happen only when their behavior is natural, when they are not threatened in any way.
Many television programs disregard ethics to be sensational. Professional people disturb animals only I they must. For example, animal surveys create disturbance, but still need to be carried out if we want to know how many animals are present in a reserve. Beyond absolute necessity, no one should take the liberty to provoke additional stresses to species that are on the verge of extinction, because it endangers them further. Moreover, it is dangerous and too many people are killed by “accident”, that are not really accidents but involuntary or voluntary provocations.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud.
Revelation on World Elephant Day
/in Blogs/by administratorPicotti, the Messenger.
It is now two years that I live almost continuously in the jungle surrounded by elephants. Little by little, I rediscover for myself what must have been the tribal’s knowledge. Therefore, I am not the first on the elephants’ continent, far from it. I even remember seeing on TV Indonesian villagers allowing elephants to “use” their village land during migration. However, experience is different from knowledge. It provides a sense of closeness, a bond.
In the book we recently edited –Giant Hearts, Priya Davidar and I tell an experience we had. To make it short, I went in the middle of an elephant herd to give water to the elephants. As I am better experienced with the elephant body language, I know what to do and how not to disturb them. The elephants observed me and came to drink when the tank was full and we thought it was pure grace. But it was not. It was normal behavior. Elephants are not as aggressive as we think they are and this is how I rediscovered it for myself.
Before leaving Cheetal Walk for a short while, I had to go to the well where a young bull, I was not acquainted with, was standing at nightfall. I decided to go in the full view of the elephant who was 20 to 30 m from the well. However, I walked slowly, deliberately, talking softly to the elephant, making sure he could see me. I always observed him, never went straight at him and I had decided to stop and return to the house at the slightest hint of discomfort. He could charge or run away. But looking at me, he continued to feed, scratched the soil with his tusks, dusted himself. I did my work and I slowly came back to the house, all the time watching the elephant. He did not budge, did not bother.
I was seriously puzzled by this experience that happened on 12 August 2015, World Elephant Day, because it went against what I knew about elephants. My earlier encounter with the herd was exceptional, I thought. I reasoned that the herd or some individuals had a purpose for letting me approach. They may have seen other persons providing water. But here, there was no purpose. The elephant was at peace with me because I approached the right way and did not go beyond his level of comfort, which varies with circumstances. Females with young would have far lower thresholds of tolerance.
With this encounter, I now tend to believe that the aggressiveness we see in elephants is mostly a response to our aggressiveness. We need to change.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud.
The Pope’s Encyclical
/in Blogs/by administratorThe Pope’s Encyclical is a welcome wake-up call for the Christians, particularly Catholics of course, and some Protestants and maybe other people of other faiths as well. It reminds the Catholics of the importance of the environment and of other forms of life, a welcome move since to the Christian view, Man is the lonely apex of creation.
After a review of the environmental problems and its associated sociological problems, the Encyclical comes with a more theological chapter on Christianity and its understanding of our relationship with nature. Another chapter attempts to go into the root cause of environmental problems, i.e. the technological paradigm. The Pope considers it to form a set of beliefs that over-rides all other beliefs, in particular the notion that Man’s well-being (in a holistic, spiritual understanding) should be the aim of all activities. In economy for example, we are promised future happiness in a world with infinite resources. Optimist technocrats also prophesy solutions to all our problems with science and technology. This attitude percolates into all our lives with a conception of progress that pushes people to “go forward” without thinking twice. And in the Christian perspective, this is considered a sin because this mindset causes a shift from God, the source and the purpose of all existence on whom our focus should remain. This false “wealth” god creates environmental destruction and I must agree with the Pope that our planet is in dire straits. At last a leader is courageous enough to say it.
I don’t believe in happy technological endings and I don’t see the Eldorado some economists promise us. We are richer, maybe. Are we happier or better off? See in your own city how people are ready to kill early morning, stuck in traffic jams. As an ecologist I believe in frugality and in God, depending upon the airline, the weather, and the experience of the Captain. Otherwise, I am a rationalist, empirical sceptic as Nassim Taleb (a trader turned philosopher) puts it. With this prudently laid disclaimer, I would humbly disagree with the Pope on the source of the problem. To me, the source of all problems is political. Even in democratic regimes, we just don’t have abandoned our judgements (sold our souls) regarding technology. We have abandoned our very responsibilities in delegating our power. When we delegate our power with a vote, we hand over responsibilities to professional politicians who do what want their rich sponsors. They become kings. They form dynasties. Early democratic experiment in Greece had citizens taken for a short time at random, to write the Constitution (the law of the law). In that way, common people kept control of the law without conflict of interest. No one could be the king but everyone was involved in the public life.
What would happen to the environment if we dare try empower citizen to write and control the law? This, I believe, could save our planet and is worth trying. Amen.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud
The beast is us
/in Blogs/by administratorDame Daphne Sheldrick
I came to know about Dame Daphne Sheldrick through our book Giant Hearts. She graciously offered to write the preface and I discovered the extent of her work in Africa. I also discovered this picture of her on the web and somehow, this fragile old lady holding a young African elephant that looks absolutely overpowering and affectionate, made me wonder. This is supposed to be, with the Asian elephant, the horrible beast source of conflicts.
Now, if you consider the Greeks and the Turks, the Chinese and the Japanese, the Zulus and the Boers, the English and the French, etc. you see that we humans, are impossible to live with. Elephants are “in conflict” with us because of our inability to co-exist.
Some may say: “but farmers really suffer from elephants.” This is true. But, first remove the illegal settlements and reduce the provocations (like stopping a car near an elephant). And second consider the fact that nothing is done to organize activities at the regional level (like advising farmers on which crop to grow and helping them to shift to a better kind of agriculture). From my experience, when elephants are undisturbed and not attracted by our food, they are calm and peaceful animals. We see them every day crossing the Trust’s property not bothered one bit by our presence (we slowly come indoors), our noise or even low conversations. Not once in two years have I felt threatened.
As many in conservation biology say, the conflict is actually mostly a human – human conflict and not really a human – wildlife conflict. This is true with all of wildlife all over the world. As far as the elephant is concerned, conflict has a lot to do with management. But can we manage biodiversity if we can’t tolerate our neighbor? Can we do it if we don’t want to help the poor farmers?
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud
The road to freedom and speed limits
/in Blogs/by administratorTourists in Bandipur
We live near the Masinagudi – Ooty road, coming from Mysore. It is a small road because it crosses protected areas. However, getting out of the jungle on the road, is being caught in a worse type of jungle. During the week, the first vehicle you are likely to encounter is a jeep taxi rushing madly, honking all the way, carrying people who are probably not in a hurry. Your next vehicle will a “vegetable express”, a small truck whose mission in life seems to be providing the Ooty market with unripe material: the speed at which they go prevents any cabbage from reaching maturity. During the weekend, you will meet medium sized buses and SUVs. Which is the most dangerous is difficult to say. Small buses are dangerous by nature because the tourists (who are probably not in a hurry either), need to be offloaded in Ooty for reasons that have been forgotten long ago. Lately, I found that the Toyota Fortuner drivers were particularly bad because, like elephant or tiger experts, they seem to think that the qualities of their pet toy -big, fast, powerful- are transferred to them. They take up the middle of the road, to be skillfully avoided by civilized people.
In spite of the attractive notice boards of the Forest Department: NO parking, NO cooking, NO photography, NO feeding animals, people do just the opposite. Each time we travel to Masinagudi (8 km away), we see a violation of some rules. The speed limit, scantly indicated, is 40 km per hour, to avoid road kills. In an area where tigers seem to be recovering from extinction, no driver is aware that, beyond the speed limit, he can kill a tiger crossing the road. Over speeding is so common that I came to believe that we own the slowest vehicle in the region. People also park their vehicles to picnic the jungle, preferably in front of the NO boards. They leave their trash behind, tease animals and risk their lives. With the present violation of laws, the respective departments can easily earn Rs 1,00,000 per month in fines between Masinagudi and Ooty.
Why being repressive when people need a little bit of freedom (and pay taxes to enjoy the reserves)? With dangerous and at the same time fragile wildlife, there is nothing much to do but apply the law (it is not right now). This brings us to the other part of the question that we must ask as conservation biologists: where are the lucrative infrastructures, activities and locations where people can have a little bit of freedom and fun without creating problems for the environment?
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud
Joy of discovery – Material physics
/in Blogs/by administratorLarge (African) elephant collider. Thanks Martin Colbeck!
Even though we belong to this narrow field of conservation biology, we have an eye on other sciences, including physics. Not a very knowledgeable eye though, don’t ask for explanations. Our vision is sufficient however to know that when facts falsify theories, revolutions happen. This is exactly what happened to Suchitra Sebastian (the serious scientist of the family), condensed matter physicist at the University of Cambridge. She and her colleagues have discovered that samarium hexaboride behaves both as a conductor and an insulator in a way that is still unexplained by theory. This was the first time ever such an explosive news about the properties of matter occurs so closely to us, prompting us to share the joy of this discovery.
https://www.quantamagazine.org/20150702-paradoxical-crystal-baffles-physicists/
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud
Elephant mortality paper – Article sur la mortalité des éléphants
/in Blogs/by administratorElephant dung with plastics
http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o4332.7436-42
We recently published a paper (link above) on elephant mortality to analyze the causes of elephant mortality in some reserves of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve. Poaching has decreased although it remains a threat, but others such as disease, accidents and “unknown” causes of death are on the rise. The “unknown” cause of death is the second highest after poaching over thirty years and is increasing. Why is that so? All causes of death may not be identifiable when carcasses are highly decomposed. But then, if detection is becoming better, missing the cause of death because of decomposition should decrease. Because of this paradox all efforts should be made to identify better the cause of death and if impossible (in case of advanced decomposition), it should be mentioned in the databases. Plastics, that are so widespread in the reserves, could be an increasing cause of mortality by intestinal blockage and nothing is seriously done to address this pollution. However tedious it may be, some dissection and/or collection of samples should be performed, because “unknown” should not become equivalent to “concealed“. Moreover, database maintenance could easily be improved and made available to the public.
Nous avons récemment publié un article (lien ci-dessus) analysant les causes de la mortalité chez les éléphants dans des réserves de la Réserve de Biosphère des Nilgiris. Nous montrons que le braconnage a baissé, bien que restant une menace, alors que d’autres, tels que les maladies, accidents et causes ‘inconnues’ augmentent. Les causes ‘inconnues’ sont les plus importantes après le braconnage sur environ trente ans et cette catégorie augmente en importance. Pourquoi ? Toutes les causes de mortalité ne peuvent pas être identifiées en cas de décomposition avancée. Mais si la détection s’améliore, le fait de ne pas reconnaître la cause de la mort devrait diminuer. A cause de ce paradoxe, il faut faire au mieux pour identifier la cause et si impossible (en cas de décomposition), le noter dans la base de données. Les plastiques, tellement répandus dans les réserves, peuvent augmenter la mortalité en provoquant des blocages intestinaux, mais rien de sérieux n’est fait pour adresser cette pollution. Aussi difficile que cela puisse être, il faudrait faire quelques dissections et/ou collecter des échantillons, car ‘inconnu’ ne devrait pas devenir synonyme de ‘caché’. De plus, la maintenance de la base de données pourrait aisément être améliorée et disponible pour le public.
Priya Davidar
Choking news – Respirez l’air pue de la montagne
/in Blogs/by administratorI recently went for the pollution control test in Ooty, the Queen of the Hills, in the center of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve. Our jeep is 8 years old and, it is good to know whether or not we choke people when we go to the market in the already over polluted Ooty. Elephants kill approximately 500 people per year in India, but atmospheric pollution results in hundreds of thousand premature deaths in India every year. Consequently, checking vehicles is very, very important. At the testing center, there was a tractor, a new car and our Mahindra jeep. Very nice people, congenial atmosphere, pleasant. A picture was taken of the car’s plate, I paid my Rs 120 and off I went, I was in a hurry. Only driving back to the city center did I realize that no check whatsoever had been done. The emission levels I have on my form are fake. None of the vehicles were actually checked for pollution. These are the news for this week from one of the most important biodiversity hotspots of the Earth.
Je suis allé récemment faire le test anti-pollution à Ooty, la reine de la montagne, dans le centre de la Réserve de Biosphère des Nilgiris. Notre jeep a 8 ans et il est préférable de savoir si nous enfumons les gens lorsque nous allons au marché dans la petite ville super polluée d’Ooty. Les éléphants tuent environ 500 personnes par an en Inde, mais la pollution atmosphérique provoque des centaines de milliers de morts prématurées. En conséquence, vérifier l’émission des véhicules est très très important. Au centre de test, il y avait un tracteur, une nouvelle voiture et notre Boléro. Des gens très gentils, atmosphère détendue, plaisante. Une photo de la plaque d’immatriculation fut prise, j’ai payé mes 120 Rs et en avant, j’étais pressé. Ce n’est qu’en retournant au centre-ville que j’ai réalisé qu’aucun contrôle n’avait été fait. Les niveaux démission sur mon formulaire sont inventés. Aucun des véhicules n’a passé un test. Voilà donc les dernières nouvelles de la semaine, d’un des plus importants ‘points chauds’ de biodiversité de la planète.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud
Giant Hearts available – Voyages au pays des géants
/in Blogs/by administratorWe are very happy to announce that our book on elephants is now published. In this book, renown scientists and authors take you to the world of elephants. Meeting elephants needs more kindness that you would imagine, this book can show you how to go.
Giant Hearts is available at Amazon (here Amazon India): http://www.amazon.in/Giant-Hearts-Travels-World-Elephants/dp/8129136996/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1434879149&sr=8-1&keywords=Giant+Hearts+travels+in+the+world+of+elephants
Nous sommes très heureux d’annoncer la publication de notre livre sur les éléphants. Dans ce volume, des scientifiques et des auteurs de renom vous emmènent dans le monde des éléphants. Rencontrer les éléphants requiert plus de gentillesse que vous pourriez imaginer et ce livre peut vous montrer comment se faire des amis chez les géants. Nous espérons une traduction fançaise… Ce livre est diponible en anglais sur Amazon.
They came, they saw, they treated Cesar – Ils sont venus, ils ont vu, ils ont traité César
/in Blogs/by amanThis is with great joy and relief that we can announce that the Forest Department came to treat the young Cesar (≈15 years). The immobilization was an epic story because the lantana thickets were difficult to penetrate. All the personnel was fantastic, assisted by two superb Forest Department elephants (kumkis). The courageous veterinary doctor removed a piece of wood from the elephant’s foot, injected antibiotics and pain-killer. We now hope Cesar will recover fully and roam the jungle to become its emperor. It is not always possible to treat wild elephants, but whenever possible it should be done as long as the population sex ratio is heavily biased towards females. We thank the dedicated personnel of the Forest Department for this operation very neatly conducted.
C’est avec beaucoup de joie et de soulagement que nous pouvons annoncer que le Departement des Forêts a organisé les soins du jeune César (≈ 15 ans). L’immobilisation fut épique car les bosquets de Lantana forment une végétation dense. Tout le personnel a été fantastique, avec la participation de deux superbes éléphants domestiques (kumkis). The courageux vétérinaire a retiré un morceau de bois de son pied, a injecté des antibiotiques et anti douleurs. Nous espérons maintenant que César va entièrement guérir et parcourir la jungle pour devenir son empereur. Il n’est pas toujours possible de traiter les éléphants sauvages, mais lorsque c’est possible, il faut le faire tant que le sexe ratio penche en faveur des femelles. Nous remercions le personnel du Département des Forêts pour cette opération conduite à la perfection.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud
Save the dead elephants – Sauvez les éléphants morts.
/in Blogs/by amanOn Wednesday morning (10 June 15), we discovered that a young tusker (we call him Cesar) was limping in the bamboo thickets across the Sigur River. He could not use his left hind leg. We called the Forest Department and fairly rapidly, a team of foresters came to observe the elephant. No photograph could be taken because it was already dark when the elephant was seen again.
The next day, rangers and forester came again to locate and observe the elephant. A guard could see him and concluded his leg was infected.
The next day, more foresters came to take pictures to send to the veterinary doctor in Coimbatore.
The next day, more foresters came to take pictures.
Today, Sunday, we went to take more pictures of the elephants, his hind leg is definitely infected.
Every day since Wednesday guards and foresters risked their lives to do their work. And we are still waiting for a decision.
Mercredi matin (10 juin 15), nous avons découvert qu’un jeune éléphant mâle (que nous appelons César), boitait dans les bambous au-delà de la rivière Sigur. Il ne pouvait pas s’appuyer sur sa jambe arrière gauche. Nous avons appelé le Département des Forêts et rapidement, une équipe de forestiers arriva pour observer l’éléphant. Aucune photo n’a pu être prise car il faisant assez sombre quand l’éléphant a été localisé à nouveau.
Le lendemain, les forestiers sont venus à nouveau localiser et observer l’éléphant. Un garde a constaté que sa jambe était infectée.
Le lendemain, encore plus de forestiers sont venus prendre des photos pour les envoyer au vétérinaire à Coimbatore.
Le lendemain, des forestiers sont venus prendre des photos.
Aujourd’hui, dimanche, nous sommes allés prendre encore des photos et la jambe de l’éléphant est certainement bien enflée.
Chaque jour depuis mercredi, des forestiers risquent leur vie et font leur travail. Et pourtant, nous attendons encore une décision.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud
On tree species – Sur les espèces d’arbres
/in Blogs/by amanWe have the pleasure to announce the publication of another high profile paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America: “An estimate of the number of tropical tree species.” This paper (see the PNAS website after mid-June 2015) results from an international collaboration of ecologists and was put together by our colleague Ferry Slik of the University of Brunei at Darusallam. Why such a paper? Well, we don’t know yet the number of tree species on Earth. This is a shame (governments are mostly not interested), because we are losing species at a huge rate. At the same rate provoked by the meteorite that destroyed the Dinosaurs. Humans are the cause of a major mass extinction. Is it important for our daily life? No, so far, so good: everything is good before an accident.
Nous avons le plaisir d’annoncer la publication d’un article dans la revue prestigieuse Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America: ‘Estimation du nombre d’espèces d’arbres tropicaux’. Cet article (voir le site PNAS à la mi-juin 2015) résulte d’une collaboration internationale entre écologistes et a été écrit par notre collègue Ferry Slik de l’Université de Brunei à Darusallam. Pourquoi un tel article ? Eh bien figurez-vous qu’on connait encore mal le nombre d’espèces d’arbres à l’échelle de la Terre. C’est une honte (les gouvernements ne sont que symboliquement intéressés), car nous perdons des espèces à un taux élevé. Aussi élevé que celui provoqué par la météorite qui a détruit les Dinosaures. L’humanité est responsable d’une extinction de masse. Est-ce important dans notre vie de tous les jours ? Non, il ne faut pas se plaindre : tout va bien avant un accident.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud
Talking to the thousand-year night – Parler à la nuit de mille ans
/in Blogs/by amanI am writing those lines after talking to an elephant. It is rather rare these days to talk to a wild elephant: or one lives far away from the jungle or one is fearful in such an encounter. Casius is an elephant I don’t know particularly well. He used to come when he was young to smell the verandah at night. This evening he came at nightfall, a beautiful elephant weighing more than four tons. I started to talk to him. He stopped to listen. For a few minutes he explored, smelled, listened. His body language showed he was relaxed. He trusted me. A human being, in general so aggressive, was telling him he was welcome. He understood. This exchange that is so peculiar, happened, a common understanding that cannot be expressed by words of course. Then he went on to feed. Elephant eat most of the time… I am wondering whether my species will be grand enough to preserve his descendents for another thousand years. I doubt it and I am not proud to be a human.
J’écris ces lignes alors que je viens juste de parler à un éléphant. C’est plutôt rare de nos jours de parler à un éléphant sauvage : soit on vit loin de la jungle, soit on a peur pendant ce genre de rencontre. Picotti est un éléphant que je connais mal. Il venait lorsqu’il était jeune renifler la véranda pendant la nuit. Ce soir il s’est approché la nuit tombante, un bel éléphant de plus de quatre tonnes. J’ai commencé à lui parler. Il s’est arrêté pour écouter. Pendant plusieurs minutes il a exploré, senti, écouté. Ses mouvements montraient qu’il était détendu. Il avait confiance. Un humain, en général si agressif lui disait qu’il était le bienvenu. Il a compris. Il y a eu cet échange si particulier, cette compréhension qui va au-delà des mots bien sûr. Il est parti se nourrir. Les éléphants mangent pratiquement sans cesse… Je me demande si mon espère aura la grandeur de préserver ses descendants pendant encore mille ans. J’en doute et je ne suis pas fier d’être un homme.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud
Sound conservation – Protection de l’ouïe
/in Blogs/by amanhttp://youtu.be/lIQ7btLnREI.
Nous vivons dans la jungle à un kilomètre du village de Valatottam. A chaque festival religieux, appel à la prière et sermon provenant, il y a quelques années, de l’autre village Mavinhalla, nous subissons NUIT et JOUR la pollution sonore, mesurée jusqu’à 60 dB. C’est un peu comme si une personne vous accompagnait toute la journée et vous parlait à haute voix. Ces pratiques sont à l’encontre des jugements de la Cour Suprême, car le son affecte les enfants à l’école (à 100 m de la source), les personnes âgées, les malades et augmente la pression artérielle des autres victimes. C’est une perturbation permanente pour les animaux sauvages et les touristes qui paient à prix fort les éco-lodges qui leur font partager une “expérience authentique” de la vie de banlieue bruyante. La loi n’est pas appliquée et la majorité des gens souffrent en… silence. Regardez la vidéo:
http://youtu.be/lIQ7btLnREI:
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud
Brinjal and the GMO jungle – Aubergines et la jungle OGM
/in Blogs/by amanWild brinjal plants were very much a part of the Cheetal Walk neighborhood. These small prickly shrubs with round green fruits streaked with white, sprouted up after the rains. The tribals cooked and ate the fruits, and we tried them out as well. However, the significance of the wild brinjal (Solanum insanum), which is a close relative of cultivated brinjal (Solanum melongena) became apparent only a few years ago when my friend Allison Snow, a Professor at Ohio State University, who evaluates risk assessment for genetically modified crops, asked me to collaborate on a study to assess potential for hybridization between wild and cultivated brinjal. The proposal to introduce Bt brinjal in India was being advocated as a solution to counter pest attack. India is one of the countries cited as a centre of origin of the brinjal and therefore we would need to assess whether the transgene could potentially spread to wild populations. We found that wild brinjal and cultivated brinjal co-occur in many places and share pollinators thereby increasing the likelihood of inter-specific hybridization, and hybrids produce viable offspring (http://www.amjbot.org/content/102/1/129.full.pdf+html). The close genetic affinity between cultivars and nearby wild/weedy brinjal at some locations indicates that gene flow is likely to have occurred between them via pollination, seed dispersal, and/or shared ancestry (http://www.amjbot.org/content/102/1/140.full.pdf+html). We concluded that if transgenic Bt brinjal were to be introduced, it could compromise efforts to maintain wild germplasm that is “GM-free”.
L’aubergine sauvage fait partie de Cheetal Walk. Ces petits arbrisseaux épineux à fruits ronds rayés de blanc germent après les pluies. Les tribaux cuisinent ces fruits que nous avons aussi essayé. L’importance de cette aubergine sauvage (Solanum insanum), proche parente de l’aubergine cultivée (Solanum melongena) est devenue apparente lors de la visite de mon amie Allison Snow, Professeur à l’Université d’Etat de l’Ohio, qui évalue les risques environnementaux associés aux plantes génétiquement modifiées et m’a demandé de participer à une étude pour mesurer le potentiel d’hybridisation entre la variété sauvage et la variété cultivée. L’introduction de l’aubergine modifiée en Inde est proposée comme solution contre les attaques d’insectes. L’Inde est aussi l’un des pays centre d’origine de l’aubergine et en conséquences, il est important de vérifier s’il n’y a pas de risque de transmettre les gènes modifiés aux populations sauvages. Nous avons montré que les aubergines sauvages et cultivées se trouvaient ensemble en de nombreux endroits, partageaient des polinisateurs qui augmentent les possibilités d’hybridisation interspécifique et nous avons aussi montré que les hybrides produisent des descendants viables ((http://www.amjbot.org/content/102/1/129.full.pdf+html). La proche parenté entre cultivars et plantes sauvages et la proximité indique que l’échange de gènes est possible (http://www.amjbot.org/content/102/1/140.full.pdf+html). Si l’aubergine modifiée est introduite, elle pourrait empêcher la conservation de l’aubergine sauvage.
Priya Davidar
I ate the jungle – J’ai mangé la jungle
/in Blogs/by amanLe centre de la Réserve de Biosphère des Nilgiris. La semaine dernière je suis allé à Masinagudi et j’ai ‘mangé’ dans un restaurant. Ce restaurant dépend d’une chaine qui promet d’arranger ‘votre nouvelle aventure dans la jungle’ et appartient, je crois à un homme riche. J’ai donc mangé mes parottas discutables avec une sauce froide et chargées de bactéries en regardant un poster évoquant une relation frelatée avec la nature. Puis, qu’est-ce que je vois entrer dans le restaurant ? Une personne portant du bois. Ce fut une révélation : les restaurants, hôtels, écoles, brûlent tous du bois : c’est gratuit ! C’est officiel, tout le monde le sait ! Les forestiers ne peuvent pas ne pas l’ignorer. J’ai payé ma facture dégoûté : j’ai mangé un mauvais repas, payé pour le gaz (le bénéfice ira au patron) et pire, j’ai mangé la jungle.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud
Culling elephants – Tuer les éléphants
/in Blogs/by amanIn April 2015 Priya Davidar (Trustee) was at Zürich for the Annual Meeting of the Society for Tropical Ecology (GTOE) to present a paper titled: The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus L.) in southern India: a local success is not a licence to kill. This is a follow up of the two studies by Dr. Raman Sukumar (Sukumar, 1998; Chelliah, Bukka and Sukumar, 2013) on the population dynamics model that was used to calculate population structure, the number of poached elephants. He also says that the model would make culling possible in the sense that the consequence on population structure would be known. Our paper on the contrary concludes that with available data, the model does not give reliable outcomes. Moreover, culling an endangered species? Were all other solutions examined?
En avril 2015, Priya Davidar (Trustee) était à Zürich pour la Réunion annuelle de la Society for Tropical Ecology (GTOE) afin de présenter un artile: l’éléphant d’Asie (Elephas maximus L.) en Inde du sud: un succès local ne donne pas le permis de tuer. C’est une réponse à deux études entreprises par le Dr. Raman Sukumar (Sukumar, 1998; Chelliah, Bukka et Sukumar, 2013) sur un modèle de dynamique des populations utilisé pour calculer la structure de population et le nombre d’éléphants braconnés. Il affirme aussi que ce modèle permet l’élimination d’éléphants problématiques en ce sens que le modèle peut calculer l’effet de la mort des éléphants sur la structure de la population. Notre article au contraire montre qu’avec les données disponibles, le modèle n’est pas précis. De plus, tuer des éléphants en danger ? Est-ce que toutes les autres solutions ont été examinées ?
Chelliah, Karpagam, Harshvardhan Bukka, and Raman Sukumar. 2013. “Modeling Harvest Rates and Numbers from Age and Sex Ratios: A Demonstration for Elephant Populations.” Biological Conservation 165 (September): 54–61. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2013.05.008.
Sukumar, Raman, Uma Ramakrishnan, and J A Santosh. 1998. “Impact of Poaching on an Asian Elephant Population in Periyar, Southern India: A Model of Demography and Tusk Harvest.” Animal Conservation 1: 281–291.
Living in the jungle – Vivre dans la jungle
/in Blogs/by amanIn these pages, we will tell you what it is to live in the jungle. You may not know why we do this and if you are curious, look at our website. We are ecologists, biologists, to make it short. So what is it so special to live in the jungle? Well, the point is that there is nothing special. We take no risk and the adventures are that of peaceful, friendly encounters. The real thrill is not provoked by adrenaline but by exchanges. The elephant will know us by smell, the tiger will ignore us, the wild dog will growl at us, some mongooses will follow us inside the house, the spotted deer will graze peaceful, the wild boar will look at us attentively, the babbler will beg for food. We are friendly but always free.
Dans ces textes, nous allons vous dire ce que c’est la vie dans la jungle. Vous ne savez peut-être pas pourquoi on fait ça et si vous êtes curieux, regardez notre site web. Nous sommes écologistes, biologistes pour faire court. Qu’est-ce qu’il y a donc de si spécial à vivre dans la jungle ? Eh bien, rien, c’est le point que l’on veut montrer. Nous ne prenons pas de risque et les aventures sont celles de rencontres paisibles et amicales. L’émotion n’est pas provoquée par l’adrénaline mais pas des échanges. L’éléphant nous connait par l’odeur, le tigre nous ignore, le chien sauvage grogne, certaines mangoustes nous suivent à l’intérieur de la maison, le cerf broute paisiblement, le sanglier nous observe attentivement, l’oiseau (babbler) quémande des graines. Nous sommes amis mais toujours libres.
Studying tree productivity – Etude de la productivité des arbres
/in Blogs/by amanA team of the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) (https://www.ncbs.res.in/) is establishing one-ha plot in the Sigur Nature Trust’s premises to study tree productivity. Tree productivity is an important aspect of the carbon dynamics in the continuum plant-soil-atmosphere. As carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, such studies feed climatic models with useful data. Moreover, this is probably the first such study in the Sigur Region and we are proud to have facilitated it. This is an example of how NGOs can contribute to fundamental research on the environment.
Une équipe du National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) a établi une parcelle d’un hectare sur le terrain du Sigur Nature Trust pour étudier la productivité des arbres. La productivité arborée est un aspect important de la dynamique du carbone dans le continuum plante-sol-atmosphère. Comme le dioxyde de carbone est un gaz à effet de serre, ce genre d’étude produit des données utiles qui entrent dans les modèles climatiques. De plus, c’est probablement la première fois qu’une telle étude a lieu dans la région de Sigur et nous sommes fiers de la soutenir. C’est un exemple de la manière dont les ONG peuvent contribuer à la recherche fondamentale sur l’environnement.
ALERT
/in Blogs/by amanFor those interested in conservation science, Corey Bradshaw maintains a very active blog. He is a professor and teaches ecological modelling.
http://conservationbytes.com/
How many animals do we require to avert extinction?
/in Blogs/by amanFrankham et al. 2014. Biological Conservation, 170, 56–63.This analysis indicates that the genetically effective population size of 50 breeding adults is not adequate to reduce the effects of inbreeding depression, and the numbers required are more than 100 individuals to prevent inbreeding depression over five generations in the wild. The minimum numbers for retaining evolutionary potential for fitness should be more than 1000 breeding adults rather than the 500 that has been postulated. The authors state that this genetic information requires that population viability analysis should be suitably revised to be more effective in conservation of endangered species. This paper is of vital importance for the conservation of our large mammals such as the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) and the Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) that are severely affected by habitat loss and poaching in the subcontinent.
Local communities can help in conservation
/in Blogs/by amanLi et al. 2014. Conservation Biology 28, 87-94.The snow leopard (Panthera uncia), and endangered species, is found in mountainous areas in 12 Central Asian countries. It is threatened by poaching, lack of prey and habitat degradation. A study in the Sanjiangyuan region of the Tibetan plateau investigated the role of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in snow leopard conservation. Results show that 46% of monasteries were located in snow leopard habitat and 90% were within 5 km of snow leopard habitat. Therefore the 336 monasteries in this region could potentially protect 8342 km2 of snow leopard habitat through social norms and active patrols. Local herders who through their religious beliefs against killing animals could play an important role in snow leopard conservation. If this can be extended to monasteries in other Tibetan Buddhist regions, about 80% of the global range of snow leopards could be better protected.
Life is difficult when you are small
/in Blogs/by amanStankowich et al. 2014. Evolution doi 10.1111/evo.12356 (2014).Small predatory mammals in the order Carnivora are often subject to high rates of predation. A global scale analysis indicates that their adaption against predation comes under two categories: small carnivores that tend to be solitary, with warning coloration (i. e. skunks) and armed with foul smelling anal sprays, or social such as the mongooses and highly vigilant. Species with noxious sprays such as skunks tend to be nocturnal and are often preyed upon by mammals, whereas the social species such as mongooses tend to be diurnal, highly vigilant and are preyed upon by birds of prey.
ALERT
/in Blogs/by amanIf you want to be told about worldwide issues on conservation, we recommend you the ALERT website. It was put together by the famous conservation biologist Bill Laurance joined by a team of eminent and active scientists. The website is:
http://alert-conservation.org/
Mark Davidar’s demise
/in Blogs/by amanDavidar, one of the founders of the Sigur Nature Trust died recently. Mark’s closeness with animals was not his only contribution to wildlife conservation. Most importantly he cared about the Sigur Nature Trust, a place of unique importance because it allows the passage of wildlife on private land in between two villages, near the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. The Sigur Nature Trust was founded by E.R.C. Davidar and his children, Priya, Mark and Peter. For more than 20 years Mark made sure that animals could cross and not be hampered by much human presence.
After he worked with Rom Whittaker at the Snake Park in Chennai, Mark established a small guest house in the family premises. One of Mark’s friends said he was like a dictator: he would not allow telephone, torches, noise. People had to obey strict rules to enjoy the marvels of nature from the safety of the veranda. It was an exceptional vantage point of view for education, a sort of real-life interpretation center.
The experiment Mark developed over more than two decades is of particular significance. The Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve where the Trust is located, is of central standing to the conservation network of southern India. It harbors one of the largest population of Asian elephant in the world and a lot of tigers as well. We can only hope that this region of exceptional beauty and biological wealth will develop into a flagship of outstanding environmental management in Asia.
To mitigate the human – wildlife conflict, we need a multitude of novel and bold experiments. Take Mark’s modest guest house for example. It can be an inspiration for the entire eco-tourism industry because it was a model on how not to disturb wildlife and still enjoy it.
Mark demonstrated we can live at peace with wildlife. We, as a family, share this vision. We will pursue the mission where Mark left it, as well as we can. The Sigur Nature Trust is a living experiment destined to create a vision for the future, based on a peaceful and knowledgeable interaction with nature. All of Mark friends can rest assured that “Mark’s place” will remain as it is. The elephants will continue to be at home. And our most fervent wish is that other people get inspired by what he has achieved and helped the Trust to achieve. For this, we are immensely grateful.
Times of change (March 2014)
/in Blogs/by amanDavidar, the former Managing Trustee of the Sigur Nature Trust, ran a small guest house, Jungle Trails on the property’s land. The guest house was closed, when Mark fell ill, for several reasons. Firstly, we do not have expertise with tourism and safety issues are important when the public is concerned. Secondly, as the Forest Department was treating a wounded elephant and so we were requested to have as few people as possible in the premises in order to avoid further habituation to humans. We gladly complied with this request and the property is now closed to the public.
Right now we are trying to set-up the Trust’s procedures, website, establish research projects. This is the program for the following year and we hope to put more pictures, more videos, more news, etc.
Predatory tourism
/in Blogs/by amanA Saturday afternoon somewhere in British India, in September 1913, just one year before the Great War (as if it could ever be great), two Englishmen were talking:
-“What are you doing tomorrow, Jack?”
-“Nothing much, I thought about shooting a tiger or two.”
-“Don’t mind if I joined? I would be excited to go for an elephant myself.”
-“No, please, you are welcome, we will take along some brandy.”
A Saturday afternoon in September 2013 in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve, one day before Kumar, a villager, was killed by a frightened elephant while taking tourists illegally into a Reserved Forest, this was the conversation between two IT specialists:
-“What are you doing tomorrow, man?”
-“Nothing much da, I thought of a night jeep safari and before, a trek from the eco-resort.”
-“You don’t mind if I joined? I would be excited to come close to an elephant.”
-“No, please, you are welcome, we will have some booze as well.”
In 1913 there were tens of thousands tigers and hundreds of thousand elephants in India. Today tigers are little more than 1,000 and elephants maybe ca. 20,000. The difference between sport hunting and predatory tourism is that – no wait, there is no difference. You end-up killing the last tigers by disturbing them, you put yourself in danger and worse, you get people killed. In wildlife reserves, avoid all activity that is not supervised by trained and authorized persons.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud
The road to hell is paved with good plastic intentions
/in Blogs/by amanOn the road to Kotagiri
When you live in the middle of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve, you need to be very careful with plastic because herbivores eat plastic bags and die of intestinal occlusion. In spite of the righteous boards “Plastic-free Nilgiris” placed on each road entering the Nilgiris, locally produced items are conscientiously wrapped in a layer of plastic and then delivered in a polythene bag thought to be cotton. Industrial products, of course, are almost always packaged in plastic. A single household produces maybe 1 kg of plastic per week.
I thought that, if plastic is produced in this region, it must be “treated”. As it happened, not at all. Plastic is burned by villagers or buried or left. Toxins released into the air contaminate plants, soil, surface water and groundwater. This can result in pollutants being absorbed by food crops, vegetation. Dioxins and furans occur as byproducts. Dioxin, is linked to cancer in humans, and dioxins and furans both accumulate in animal tissue. Reported effects on birds and fish, include increased mortality, decreased growth, reproductive failure and birth defects.
The “Plastic-free Nilgiris” campaign is supposed to suggest that this region forbids the use of plastic, which would be unattainable. But what it actually means is that the plastic problem is not addressed. It kills humans with cancer, pollutes the Ooty carrots and Nilgiris tea, and whatever is exposed to it. Who cares?
Plastic is a resource that can be reused and preferably less used. But as long as there is no real action, waste of resources, human lives and biodiversity will continue. The roads to Ooty with boards posting good intentions take us to hell. Too bad for the Biosphere Reserve.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud.
Feeding wild elephants kills them
/in Blogs/by amanRivaldo, lucky to survive with his trunk cut after being fed by humans
Sharing food is natural among people who are close to each other, in the same family or not so close to each other, just because we belong to the same human family after all. Sharing food is a sign of friendliness. Most domestic animals were probably domesticated by sharing food with them. The trouble is that in some instance, it creates a lot of problems.
Elephants like any other animals become habituated to being fed. At the beginning, all is well. They go away. Then, they start demanding food. Elephants have a large appetite and need approximately 100 kg of food per day. Habituated elephants do not roam the jungle any more. As they find food in a particular place, they do not bother any more to explore as they normally do. They destroy all vegetation in their vicinity, accelerating their own starvation.
Habituated elephants lose their fear of humans and try to break into houses in search of fruits, vegetables and cereals. Not all people are welcoming to elephants. To defend themselves or just out of fear people will start screaming, and put their lives in danger. Alternatively, they may take a weapon and harm the elephants.
We have seen such development time after time. Our friend Rivaldo (see our videos) was extremely lucky. He became habituated, and probably went to a house where the tip of his trunk was cut. He was extremely lucky to survive. Without treatment, he would have died. Roberto Carlos was less lucky. A miscreant shot the animal in the leg and the he died of septicemia after weeks of atrocious suffering.
When you feed an elephant, you want to be friendly, but you invariably provoke the premature death of the animal. So never feed elephants.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud.