Wednesday, June 29, 2011

To people who feed and/or pose at electric fences next to wild elephants



Machang,
I have big issues with people feeding and/or taking pics next to the elephants along the Uda Walawe fence.

It's just asking for trouble, removing a wild animal's natural fear of humans. It also makes the animals expect food at a given place, and they can get nasty if not fed, or teased too much by the people by the fence (even domesticated elephants get violent when they think more food is at hand).

What'll eventually happen is that, as soon as a break appears in the fence (and the locals themselves regularly break the fence to let their cattle in etc), the elephants will make a beeline for the known source of goodies, and thereafter happily do whatever more damage they like because they're no longer afraid of humans.

The humans will make a huge fuss (having caused it in the first place) and will demand that the elephant is killed. Eventually, some other animal, not even the one by the fence, will suffer for this whole cycle.

Just my $0.02 worth, but please think about it, and if it makes sense, please don't do it any more and please discourage any friends as well? Thanks - sorry if this comes off as a little intense :-) Trust you understand