What's Up with This 'Smoke-Breathing' Elephant?

By Jeanna Bryner, Live Science Managing Editor | March 23, 2018 02:34pm ET

An elephant in India seems to have a smoking habit. Conservation scientists spotted the pachyderm hoisting chunks of ashen wood into its mouth and then blowing out puffs of smoke.

"I believe the elephant may have been trying to ingest wood charcoal," Varun Goswami, Wildlife Conservation Society's (WCS) India program scientist and an elephant biologist, said in a statement. "She appeared to be picking up pieces from the forest floor, blowing away the ash that came along with it, and consuming the rest."

Goswami, an elephant biologist, and his team came across what they are calling the "smoke-breathing" elephant in Nagarahole National Park while checking their "hidden" cameras (also called camera traps) as part of a study of tigers and their prey.

During their forest trek, they saw the elephant standing in a "burnt patch" of the woods. "In India, the Forest Department burns fire lines to create fire breaks that can help control forest fires," Vinay Kumar, assistant director of WCS-India, told Live Science. "And this effort leaves behind wood charcoal on the forest floor."

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Ancient 'Monster' Elephant Was 50 Percent Bigger Than Modern Cousins

By Laura Geggel, Senior Writer | August 30, 2017 01:57pm ET

CALGARY, Alberta —  Half a million years ago, the Arabian Peninsula wasn't a sandy desert but rather a lush, wet landscape. There, a gigantic elephant — 50 percent larger than today's biggest elephants — tromped around an ancient lake before dying, a new fossil skeleton reveals.

The behemoth, known as Elephas recki, is an ancient elephant species that existed from about 3.5 million years ago to about 300,000 years ago and lived in parts of Africa and the Middle East, said study lead researcher, Iyad Zalmout, a paleontologist with the Saudi Geological Survey in Jeddah.

Researchers first began uncovering the newfound animal's remains in northwestern Saudi Arabia's Nafud Desert in 2014, but other parts of the same individual were unearthed as recently as this year, and excavation work is ongoing, said study co-researcher Dan Fisher, the director of the Museum of Paleontology at the University of Michigan. [Mammoth Resurrection: 11 Hurdles to Bringing Back an Ice Age Beast]

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Elephant dies after 1,000-mile journey from India to Bangladesh

Conservation officials’ attempt to transport animal to safari park after it was separated from herd in floods in Assam fails

Agence France-Presse in Dhaka

Tuesday 16 August 201608.54 BST

Last modified on Tuesday 16 August 201609.07 BST

An elephant thought to have travelled at least 1,000 miles (1,600km) from India into Bangladesh after floods separated it from the herd has died, despite efforts to save it.

The distressed animal was tranquillised three times during repeated attempts to transport it to a safari park in Bangladesh, after the elephant crossed the border in late June.

It was eventually given large amounts of saline and chained in a paddy field to help it recover, but the animal was “too weak and tired” from the ordeal, officials said.

“It breathed its last at about 7am (0100 GMT),” the government’s chief wildlife conservator, Ashit Ranjan Paul, said.

“We have given our highest effort to save the animal. At least 10 forest rangers, vets and police officers have constantly followed it for the last 48 days. But our luck is bad.”

Paul said the animal is believed to have travelled more than 1,060 miles from Assam in north-east India after being separated from its herd in severe flooding.

The animal ran amok and charged into a pond after Bangladeshi forest officials hit it with a tranquilliser dart on Thursday. Local villagers jumped into the pond to prevent the four-tonne animal from drowning by stopping it toppling into the water.

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Germany may block import of tusks from giant elephant shot by hunter in Zimbabwe

Import of trophy tusks from one of Africa's largest elephants could be illegal, warns Germany, as reward offered for hunter's identity

By Melanie Hall, Berlin, and Peta Thornycroft and Aislinn Laing in Johannesburg

8:28PM BST 16 Oct 2015

Germany will consider blocking the import from Zimbabwe of the tusks ofone of Africa’s biggest elephants killed by one of its nationals, it said on Friday amid growing global outrage over the hunt.

The country’s nature conservation agency said it had in the past refused entry for animals killed in trophy hunts and would not hesitate to do so in this case if the hunt had infringed German wildlife regulations.

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Biggest elephant killed in Africa for almost 30 years brings back memories of Cecil the lion

Exclusive: German hunter pays nearly £40,000 to shoot one of the largest elephants ever seen in Zimbabwe, while conservationists and safari guides mourn the loss of ‘magnificent’ animal

By Peta Thornycroft, and Aislinn Laing in Johannesburg

7:39PM BST 16 Oct 2015

It is an image that will haunt conservationists: one of Africa’s most majestic creatures lying dead on the ground as a white Western hunter poses proudly by its side.

Barely three months after the shooting of Cecil the lion caused global outrage, a German hunter has risked the wrath of animal lovers once more by shooting dead one of the largest elephants ever seen in Zimbabwe.

Mystery surrounded the identity of the elephant, which was estimated to have been between 40 and 60 years old, but had never been seen before in Zimbabwe’s southern Gonarezhou National Park.

But its tusks, which touch the ground in a photograph taken moments after its shooting, confirmed its exceptional nature, weighing an estimated 120lb each.

It was shot on October 8 in a private hunting concession bordering Gonarezhou by a hunter who paid $60,000 (£39,000) for a permit to land a large bull elephant and was accompanied by a local, experienced professional hunter celebrated by the hunting community for finding his clients large elephants.

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Raju the crying elephant decreed free by Indian court

An Indian elephant kept in chains for 50 years has finally been declared free after his former owners lost a legal battle to reclaim him from wildlife campaigners


by Telegraph Video, video source Wildlife SOS

1:52PM GMT 03 Dec 2014

A starving and beaten Indian elephant that was rescued by a wildlife charity in a midnight raid will not have to be returned to its abusive owner, an Indian court has ruled.

Raju, who is now recovering in a wildlife sanctuary, was found shackled in spiked chains and living off rubbish in the streets of Allahabad, India.

Conservationists from the British charity Wildlife SOS carried out a raid to free the animal in the early hours of July 4. Incredibly, they reported witnessing him shedding tears as they moved in to cut his bonds.

Two months later, Raju's owners launched a law suit to try to reclaim the animal, but now stand accused of illegally obtaining him.

Indian law requires owners to hold a licence from the Chief Wildlife Warden, which Raju's former owners were unable to produce.

Source ...

Incredible rescue of elephant shot by poachers caught on camera

Monday 6 Oct 2014 12:12 pm

This footage shows the incredible moment an elephant was saved from poachers by heroic vets in Kenya.

The bull elephant had been shot in the back leg with a poisoned arrow in a bid to get his ivory tusks in Tsavo National Park.

Once the deadly arrow was removed and the wound was cleaned, the team administered long-acting antibiotics to ensure that the elephant would make a full recovery.

Success: This is the moment the elephant got up after being helped by vets (Picture: Barcroft)

Rob Brandford, director of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, confirmed that the animal would have died if it wasn’t for the amazing efforts of the emergency team.

He said: ‘In this case the tusker has a clearly visible wound on his back leg and the vets needed to ensure they acted quickly before the poison spread.

‘For other elephants however that aren’t treated in time, death by poisoned arrow can be horrendous and extremely painful – it can take hours, weeks or even months for the elephant to die depending on the freshness of the poison, the location of the arrow and how deeply it penetrated.’

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Raju the crying elephant meets new family at animal sanctuary

After 50 years of captivity, the elephant has been taken to a sanctuary in northern India where he is in the company of five female elephants, collectively dubbed the ‘Herd of Hope’ after all being rescued from abuse.

BY LEE MORAN 

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS 

Wednesday, August 6, 2014, 8:54 AM

The tortured elephant who hit the headlines last month for crying on his release from captivity has joined five females at his forever home.

Tear-jerking video shows the gentle giant being welcomed to a refuge in Mathura, northern India, by his new companions.

Raju the elephant cried upon being rescued from 50 years of captivity.

They flap their ears, trumpet a greeting and touch him with their trunks — all signs of joy — as he's led into the sanctuary.

His new family members — collectively dubbed the "Herd of Hope" — were all rescued by the Wildlife SOS charity, which also saved Raju from a life of "hell" during a daring nighttime raid in early July.

The rescued elephant dines on mangos, melons and bananas.

"We're delighted he's fitted in so well with the first family he's had since poachers orphaned him as a calf," charity boss Kartick Satyanarayan told The Mirror.

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Poachers kill elephant for tusks in Thai sanctuary

BANGKOK (AP) — Poachers have killed and sawed the tusks off a 50-year-old elephant that performed in Thai royal processions and was featured in Oliver Stone's 2004 movie "Alexander," the manager of the conservation center where the animal was kept said Friday.

Laithongrian Meephan of the Ayutthaya Elephant Palace and Royal Kraal said the elephant was found dead Friday morning. Poachers had apparently poisoned it before cutting off its tusks.

The center breeds and trains elephants, and also serves as a retirement home for aging beasts.

Some of them take part in ceremonial shows for members of Thailand's royal family and tourists in Ayutthaya, the country's ancient capital.

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Elephant in India Rescued After 50 Years of Being Shackled and Abused

After 50 years of being shackled in spikes, Raju the elephant has been freed from captivity in India. A team of 10 wildlife experts and veterinarians from Wildlife SOS, accompanied by police, entered his enclosure in the middle of the night, removed the shackles from his legs, and rescued Raju.

Operation Raju was difficult. During the mission, his captors tried to fight off the rescuers, who eventually had to gain the elephant's trust by offering it fruit.

Volunteers say they witnessed tears streaming down Raju's face after he was freed from his chains. Some animal experts believe elephants are capable of crying since they appear to experience emotions similar to those of humans.

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Elephant poached in Kruger National Park for the first time in 10 years

The first confirmed elephant poaching incident in the Kruger National Park (KNP) in well over ten year has taken place The South African National Parks (SANParks) has announced.

The incident occurred in the Pafuri region, in the northern part of the KNP and ballistic evidence found at the scene confirmed that the animal was shot.

According to SANParks Rangers Corp Officer Commanding, Major General (Ret) Johan Jooste, said rangers patrolling the area noticed footprints of approximately four individuals leading towards Mozambique leaving the park and investigations are currently underway. 

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Poaching spreads to Namibia

Elephant and rhino poaching in Africa is spreading to the sparsely-populated vastness of Namibia in the southeast of the continent, latest official figures show.

Between 2005 and 2011 just two elephant were killed in Namibia, while 121 have been killed in the past two and a half years, and while no rhino were poached between 2005 and 2010, a total of 11 have been killed since then -- rising from one in 2011 to four already this year.

Deputy Environment Minister Pohamba Shifeta told AFP that the government is worried by the trend and is working with law enforcement agencies to tackle the problem. "We don't want the numbers to escalate further," Shifeta said. "There is a high probability that attention will shift to Namibia as we have recently experienced."

Across the border in South Africa, rhino poaching has reached crisis levels, with more than 290 killed already this year. Most of the poaching in Namibia has taken place in protected areas, such as the Bwabwata National Park in the northeast, where 13 elephant were killed in 2012, the environment ministry report said.

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Safari park celebrates birth of long-awaited elephant

15 May 2014 Last updated at 13:32

An elephant has been born at West Midlands Safari Park for the first time in its 41-year history.

The male was born after a 22-month pregnancy and weighed 15st 7lb.

Head elephant keeper Andy Plumb said: "This really is fantastic news. The baby is absolutely perfect, just like his mother."

His mother, called Five, was artificially inseminated using frozen semen from an elephant in the South African wild.

Teenage cancer fundraiser Stephen Sutton, who raised more than £3.6m for the charity, met Five, an African elephant, as his bucket list included "hugging an animal bigger than me."

Stephen, who died on Wednesday, said at the time: "She has messy table manners, but I've had worse dates."

The baby was born at 17.30 BST on 5 May.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-27420343

I nose how this tune goes: Elephant uses trunk to tinkle the ivories during impromptu duet with pianist

Sir Paul McCartney once sang about ebony and ivory living together in perfect harmony.

However, it appears a trunk can carry a pretty decent tune, too.

Peter the elephant could not resist tinkling the ivories when pianist Paul Barton visited his sanctuary.

And while the pair duetted on 12 Bar Blues, Peter’s younger neighbour, Soi, danced to the rhythm.

Mr Barton, 52, has played to elephants in Thailand since 1996 but this is the first time one has decided to join him for an impromptu tune.

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Elephant killed former UCSD dean

A former UC San Diego dean on vacation in Tanzania died Friday after being trampled by an elephant, according to a family member and news reports Wednesday.

“He had an accidental encounter with an elephant,” said Skyli McAfee, who identified herself as Dr. Thomas McAfee’s sister and was notified of the accident.

McAfee, 58, had resigned his position as dean of clinical affairs at the university and was to assume a new job Tuesday as chief executive of the Keck Medicine of USC Medical Foundation in Los Angeles.

Skyli McAfee declined to provide additional details about the accident, but several news reports stated that it occurred at Tanzania’s 1,096-square-mile Tarangire National Park which is home to herds of “up to 300 elephants,” according to the nature preserve’s website.

The Citizen, a newspaper and website in Dar es Salam, Tanzania, reported that McAfee and two unidentified companions were “viewing game on foot when they stumbled upon a herd of about 50 elephants.”

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Elephant 'tramples to death suspected poacher'

A suspected poacher has reportedly been trampled to death by an elephant as he tried to shoot the beast in Zimbabwe. 

By Emily Miller 

3:26PM BST 12 May 2013 

The bloodied remains of Solomon Manjoro were found by rangers after what was thought to be a botched poaching trip at the protected Charara safari area inside a national park. 

Zimbabwe's Sunday Mail reported that the local man was charged by the elephant after he entered the game reserve for an illegal hunting trip with a friend. 

The dead man's alleged accomplice Noluck Tafuruka, 29, was later arrested inside the park and charged with illegal possession of a firearm. 

The state-controlled Sunday Mail reported: "The poacher was recently trampled to death by an elephant after he failed to gun down the jumbo during a hunting expedition." 

It is believed Manjoro and Tafuruka encountered the elephant after entering the huge game reserve at the end of April. 

Police believe the pair, who were allegedly carrying unlicensed weapons, faced up to the beast and attempted to shoot it. 

However Manjoro was killed when the animal failed to fall and instead charged towards him. 

Tafuruka was later arrested by local police inside the Charara reserve, which lies near Zimbabwe's Lake Kariba in the north west of the country. 

A third man, Godfrey Shonge, 52, from capital Harare, has also been arrested over the incident. 

The pair appeared last week in court to face charges of illegal possession of firearms and of contravention of local wildlife laws. 

The magistrate was told Manjoro and Tafuruka had entered the National Park between April 19 and 26 with the sole intention of poaching. 

Incidents of elephant poaching have been on the rise in recent years, driven by increased demand for ivory. 

The valuable substance is sold on the black market and often smuggled to Asian countries including China, where it is used for ornaments and jewellery. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/zimbabwe/10052209/Elephant-tramples-to-death-suspected-poacher.html

Well done Mr Elephant.......

South Africa: Elephant in national park overturns vehicle carrying tourists, injuring 1

JOHANNESBURG –  South African officials say an elephant has overturned a vehicle carrying two tourists, injuring one of them.

A statement from Kruger National Park says the tourists are of "Chinese origin."

The statement says an elephant in the park attacked the vehicle on a road at 6:30 a.m. 

Monday, and a medical team in a helicopter rushed to help the injured male driver. He was taken to a hospital for further treatment.

Park spokesman William Mabasa says it is unclear why the elephant became aggressive. But he is appealing to the public to be alert in the park and try not to get too close if they see an elephant approaching on the road.

The vast Kruger park lies in South Africa's northeast, next to Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/04/15/south-africa-elephant-in-national-park-overturns-vehicle-carrying-tourists/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fworld+%28Internal+-+World+Latest+-+Text%29#ixzz2QXhoTi5m

Circus elephant injured in drive-by shooting.

Reported by: Jeff Bryant

Email: jbryant@wtva.com

TUPELO, Miss (WTVA) Tupelo police are investigating a shooting involving an elephant with the Ringling Bro's and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

The shooting took place around 2:00 a-m at the Bancorp South Arena.

Police tell WTVA that a vehicle drove by the arena and fired at the animal.

A veterinarian that travels with the circus, and is an elephant specialist is flying to Tupelo later today.

The elephant is alert and moving around.

The animal is expected to make a full recovery.

If anyone has any information they should contact the Tupelo Police Department.  

http://www.wtva.com/content/news/breaking/story/Circus-elephant-injured-in-drive-by-shooting/UU_ge3f9d0e6VryBal8C_w.cspx

Elephant in Kerala charged with murder and released on bail

THRISSUR March 12: Thechikottukavu Ramachandran, reportedly the tallest domestic elephant in India, has secured another record. The elephant could perhaps be the first in the country to be charged with murder and released on bail.

Ramachandran, which stands 3.17m tall and fondly called Raman, was released by the Perumbavoor first class judicial magistrate court last week in a case related to the death of three women after he ran amok at a temple festival in Perumbavoor on January 27. The Malayattoor forest division had filed the case against the elephant, temple and devaswom authorities.

Thechikottukavu peramangalathu devaswom, which owns 45-year-old Ramachandran, had to submit a bond of Rs 30 lakh and surety of two persons to secure his bail. The elephant was in the custody of forest officials after the attack. As per rules, an elephant should not be included for any parade for 15 days after such attacks.

The court had earlier declined a request from the devaswom authorities for his release to parade him at the Thechikottukavu festival on February 12 after forest officials produced a medical report, claiming Ramachandran is a problematic elephant and he should not be paraded for the next three months.

 Continued: http://www.ukmalayalee.com/kerala-news/news.php?id=MjgxOA

A potentially dangerous situation is developing in Sri Lanka’s Yala National Park

Please don't feed the elephants - Written by Srilal Miththapala

January 2013. There is a serious situation developing in Sri Lanka's Yala National Park, due to a particular adult male elephant becoming too acclimatized to tourist jeeps and interacting with the visitors closely.

Mature tusker
This elephant is a mature tusker, known as ‘Gemunu', that has become a very popular & iconic elephant in Yala for over a decade now. However, for the past year, he has begun to have close contact with jeeps, most probably because he is being fed by the tourists or even the jeep drivers in an effort to keep their clients happy. Elephants are very intelligent animals and can learn certain behaviours quickly.

Do's and don'ts for visitors to Yala National Park, which could in some way help mitigate this problem.

Don't take food items into the park. If you have to, please ensure they are in air tight containers so that odours and smells are minimized. 

If you come across Gemunu (very easily distinguished by his big tusks), do not stop, and do try to move away. However, this may not be possible as he stands in the middle of the road and blocks the path. 

In all instances, be guided by the Wildlife Department tracker. But in some instances, due to the demand, trackers are not provided for every jeep. In such cases, please do not allow the jeep driver to show-off by stopping for Gemunu. 

If Gemunu is too close, don't try to drive away, as this may alarm him. Stay quiet and as calm as possible. He is usually very docile and has not harmed anyone.

Do not take any chances, however exciting and exhilarating the experience of having a full grown elephant calmly check you out at such close quarters. Remember he is a WILD ELEPHANT and could be potentially very very dangerous. 

Very often, he gets hemmed-in the middle of a convoy of vehicles. The vehicles in front should move away, without waiting for photo opportunities, allowing other vehicles to also move. 

So far he has been sighted on the main road, but he could possibly come across to the places where people alight from the jeeps to have a snack, such Patanangala. So be careful at any location where you leave your jeep, and if he is sighted immediately get back into your jeeps.

Potentially dangerous
The situation has reached a very critical point, where Gemunu now is bold enough to walk right up to a jeep and put his trunk completely in to the jeep, searching for food items. In fact, last week when I was in Yala, I saw him putting his entire head into a jeep; thankfully there were only two guests in the jeep and they managed to squeeze to the other side while he rummaged around the jeep, took out a knapsack and destroyed it. These guests were extremely traumatized by this experience.

While this certainly provides a once- in- a life-time exciting experience, it could very easily turn into a serious incident. 

The only way to stop this is by gradually ‘teaching' Gemunu that coming and searching the jeeps for food will not yield any success. There is no other way he can be constrained. 

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/yala-elephant.html