Now that former President Joseph Estrada is now the Mayor of Manila,
I hope he will fulfill his promise of sending Mali to the sanctuary in Thailand.
Below is my latest article on Mali.
Below is my latest article on Mali.
A better
life for Mali.
That’s the claim that has fueled the
tug war between Manila officials and the animal rights group People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
PETA wants Mali transferred to the
Boon Lott Elephant Sanctuary in Northern Thailand where she will have hundreds
of acres of land to roam, other elephants to play and bond with, and lots of
natural stimulation for her mental, physical and emotional health.
Public support for the PETA proposal
is increasing. Frequent media coverage has made the Filipino public aware of
Mali’s plight. The list of legislators, politicians, church leaders, prominent
personalities and even international experts and famous animal activists all
demanding Mali’s transfer to BLES has grown in the last few months.
Manila zoo officials, on the other hand, want Mali to remain
in the zoo, alone and miserable, sans
the expert care and proper conditions she needs for her physical health and sans the company of other elephants that
she needs to lead a normal life.
Zoo officials, with the obstinate
and misguided support of Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, claim Mali will have a
better life if she remains in Manila because she grew up here and this is the
only life she knows.
They also claim that Mali will be
sedated during her flight to BLES and this could kill her.
But according to CITES
regulations, elephants cannot be sedated during trips except in extreme
circumstances to prevent injury to the animal or to the people around her. Sedation is not advised
because animals in a lethargic state may be more vulnerable to injury during
the trip.
In March 2011, US Association of Zoos and Aquariums
set up standards for elephant management and care . By 2016, all
zoos with elephants must keep a minimum of three female elephants. Zoos which
do not follow this must transfer their elephants to other zoos.
For elephants, their herd is
everything. Females stay with their families for lifei and males stay until
their early teens. They need to be in the company of elephants.
In the Upper House, at least four
legislators – Senators Miriam Defensor Santiago, Chiz Escudero, Manny Villar
and Lito Lapid – have each filed resolutions to facilitate Mali’s transfer to
BLES and assess the situation of animals in zoos and sanctuaries all over the
country. Some of the resolutions are also asking for an assessment of animal
welfare enforcement in the country.
TEACHING AN
ELEPHANT TO TRAVEL
For centuries, elephants have been
flown from Africa and Asia to zoos all over the world. Circus elephants have
travelled by train and truck from city to city. Long-distance travel for this
giant creatures is never easy, specially if the destination is a place that is
so different from their home environment. But through the years, elephant
experts have developed a protocol to facilitate the transfer of elephants to
faraway destinations and minimize their stress during the trip.
According to
PETA’s proposal for Mali’s transfer, several steps have to be taken to prepare
her for the trip.
1
Travel Training
Mali must
learn to allow veterinarians to take blood samples and care for her feet. This
is important because early diagnosis of diseases can save an elephant’s life.
The blood chemistry results are needed for the travel permits.
A
method called “protected contact” will allow a vet to get the samples
Without
using ropes, chains and bullhooks. These were used to train and
punish stubborn elephants
before but are now unacceptable by today’s
standards. Only metal screens, bars and restraint chutes
separate the animals from their handlers. Positive reinforcement has replaced
punishment in elephant management.
To allow the application of “protected contact”, Mali’s
enclosure at the Manila zoo will have to be modified. The daily training for
Mali’s foot care will take one to three
weeks while training for blood work will need a few more months. Everything
will depend on Mali’s cooperation.
2. Travel Permits
Mali will also need a travel permits from the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The export permit will come
from the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) which is the CITES
authority in the Philippines. The CITES authority from Thailand will also have
to issue an import permit and determine the appropriate quarantine procedures.
3. Transport Crates
Elephants always travel
in specially designed crates that have to be
Approved by and the International Air Transport Association.
The crate will measure 7.5 ft x 12 ft x 18 ft on the outside and 6.5 ft x 10 ft
x 17 ft on the inside. The team that will accompany Mali will have three feet
of space from where they can monitor her during the flight. PETA will either
borrow a crate from a cargo company or have one built for Mali. Training to
enter the crate will take more or less a month.
A crane will lift the crate onto a flatbed truck for the trip
to the airport.
4. Travel Companions
PETA has arranged for an elephant expert to accompany Mali to
BLES. This person will come months before the trip to help train Mali and bond
with her. An expert in transporting elephants and one person from the Manila
zoo will also be on Mali’s travel team.
An air logistics expert will be consulted to make minimize
the stress for Mali.
5. The Trip
From Manila Zoo, the
trip to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport
will take about 30 minutes. Loading her onto the cargo plane via
conveyor belt will take another hour. PETA will commission the truck and plane.
Only a C-17 or a front-loading Boeing 747 can fly an elephant.
The trip to Sukhothai airport in Thailand will last four
hours and the trip to BLES may take one to two hours. All in all, Mali will be
traveling a total of 9.5 hours.
THE BOON LOTT ELEPHANT SANCTUARY (BLES)
BLES
is a 400-acre land in Sukhothai, northern Thailand that is home to 14 elephants
rescued from abusive owners and retired from heavy work like carrying logs. It was set up in April 2006 by Katherine
Connor, a former London-based retail manager who traveled to several countries
in Asia and ended up falling in love with a baby elephant named Boon Lott. The
baby elephant was prone to accidents and eventually died. But Katherine was
marked for life. She raised money to buy land and set up a sanctuary,
eventually marrying Anon, a mahout she had befriended while she was caring for
Boon Lott at an elephant hospital.
The
sanctuary has banana plantations, grasslands, open fields, rivers and all types
of fruit trees. The elephants there are not used for profit and never forced to
perform. All they do everyday is play, roam, forage, swim and bond.
Captive
elephants often suffer from foot infections and arthritis due to the hard
concrete surface of their living quarters in zoos. Their tails often get
infected after repetitively hitting concrete walls and metal barriers.They need
natural substrates and large areas so they can exercise and roam and bond.
Elephants roam up to 50 kms a day.
The
BLES caretakers are confident that Mali will integrate well with the other
resident Asian elephants. For the first six months, Mali will have 5 acres to
herself while acclimatizing to her new home. She will have a huge bathing pond.
Although the area will be fenced, she can already interact with the other
elephants. They will wait till Mali is ready to join the herd. A webcam will be
set up so Filipinos can watch Mali’s progress.
Filipinos can learn much
more about elephants by observing Mali in her new home than watching her Mali
in the artificial zoo environment.
Wildlife experts agree
that elephants are extremely intelligent and curious animals with complex
social lives. They think, decide and act, very much like people.
After spending 36 years of her life
in Manila zoo, Mali may experience confusion and stress for the first few
months. But the excitement of a new life, stimulation from her natural
surroundings, the company of members of her kind as well the care she will
getting from her caretakers will see her through this period.
=====================
SIDEBAR:
IDEAL
TRANSPORT TIME
Securing Mali in the crate
and loading onto truck – 1 hr
Ground transport from zoo
to Manila airport – 0.5
hr
Loading crate onto aircraft
– 1
hr
Flight time from Manila to
Sukhothai airport – 4
hrs
Unloading from aircraft and
customs clearance – 1.5 hrs
Transport to sanctuary – 1 hr
Unloading from truck to
sanctuary – 0.5
hr
Total – 9.5
hrs
SIDEBAR:
Zoos that have closed
or are closing their elephant exhibits
All zoos in India
Alaska Zoo, US
Bristol Zoo, UK
Bronx Zoo, US
Chehaw Wild Animal
Park, US
Detroit Zoo, US
Dudley Zoo, UK
Edinburgh Zoo, UK
Frank Buck Zoo, US
Gladys Porter Zoo, US
Greater Vancouver Zoo,
Canada
Henry Vilas Zoo, US
Lincoln Park Zoo, US
Lion Country Safari, US
London Zoo, UK
Longleat Safari Park,
UK
Louisiana Purchase
Gardens and Zoo, US
Mesker Park Zoo, US
Philadelphia Zoo, US
Sacramento Zoo, US
San Francisco Zoo, US
Santa Barbara Zoo, US
===================
Published in ANIMALSCENE magazine April 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment