The Skinny Elephant

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Oosterhuis, J. E. Elephant Consultation Report for Edmonton Valley Zoo, Edmonton, Alberta, for Female Asian Elephant “Skanik” (aka “Lucy”). February 4, 2013. http://www.edmonton.ca/attractions_events/documents/Veterinary_update_2013.pdf. O’Connell-Rodwell, C. E. “Keeping an Ear to the Ground: Seismic Communication in Elephants.” Physiology 22 (2007): 287–94. doi: 10.1152/physiol.00008.2007.

Although Onoda’s story is an extraordinary example of loyalty, as said by Manson; it is too an example of how we humans often dedicate large proportions of our lives to seemingly useless or destructive causes. Three of BEC’s 14 elephants were adopted by an unidentified zoo on the neighbouring island of Java.Newman, B. “Zoo Confinement Gives Elephants Problem Feet.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 17, 2006. http://www.post-gazette.com/nation/2006/11/17/Zoo-confinement-gives-elephants-problem-feet/stories/200611170141. Recognisable features:Being termed as India’s skinniest elephant, Lakshmi is extremely emaciated and thin, making her head look much larger than her body. Wemmer, C., and C A. Christen. “Introduction.” In Elephants and Ethics: Toward a Morality of Coexistence, edited by C. Wemmer and C. A. Christen, 1–13. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008. Murphree, R., J. V. Warkentin, J. R. Dunn, W. Schaffner, and T. F. Jones. “Elephant-to-Human Transmission of Tuberculosis, 2009.” Emerging Infectious Diseases 17 (2011): 366–71. doi: 10.3201/eid1703101668. Vietnam’s reopening will also be staggered, with Reuters reporting that the Southeast Asian nation is planning “to reopen key tourist destinations to vaccinated visitors from countries deemed a low Covid-19 risk” from December “ahead of a full resumption targeted for June next year”.

In 2005, BEC joined a wildlife conservation programme run by the Ministry of Forestry that entrusts privately-owned zoos and safari parks in Indonesia with the care of critically endangered Sumatran elephants. Elephants at BEC were found to be just ‘skin and bones’ after the coronavirus pandemic forced the park to close [Supplied]Mason, G. J., and J. S. Veasey. “How Should the Psychological Well-Being of Zoo Elephants Be Objectively Investigated?” Zoo Biology 29 (2008): 237–55.

Altman, J. D. “Animal Activity and Visitor Learning at the Zoo.” Anthrozoos 11, no. 1 (1998): 12–21. Santosa says BEC was given two months to find new investors and restructure the business, during which Haas’s NGO, the Jakarta Animal Aid Network, fed their elephants and paid the keepers’ wages. Arvidsson, J., M. Amundin, and M. Laska. “Successful Acquisition of an Olfactory Discrimination Test by Asian Elephants, Elephas maximus.” Physiology and Behavior 105 (2012): 809–14. Present health condition:Lakshmi is suffering from issues like chronic abscesses, overgrown toenails, arthritis, bent knees and abnormally deviated limbs, which are telltale signs of abject malnourishment and negligent healthcare. Besides, she also has an extremely bulged and protruding spine , and experiencing debility caused by long-term deprivation of food and water.Marino, L., S. O. Lilienfeld, R. Malamud, N. Nobis, and R. Broglio. “Do Zoos and Aquariums Promote Attitude Change in Visitors? A Critical Evaluation of the American Zoo and Aquarium Study.” Society and Animals 18 (2010): 126–38.

But photographs taken by a wildlife veterinarian at the park in May and shared exclusively with Al Jazeera showed several severely undernourished elephants.Bates, L. A., J. H. Poole, and R. W. Byrne. “Elephant Cognition.” Current Biology 18, no. 13 (2008): R545. Berens, M. “Elephants Are Dying Out in America’s Zoos.” Seattle Times, December 4, 2012. http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2019809167_elephants02m.html. I am not saying these businesses should close,” the veterinarian said. “But I am hoping that after the pandemic, tourists will have a wake-up call and not ride elephants or play with them in swimming pools anymore. Schmitt, D. “View from the Big Top: Why Elephants Belong in North American Circuses.” In Elephants and Ethics: Toward a Morality of Coexistence, edited by C. Wemmer and C. A. Christen, 227–34. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008.