JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The future of Lammie, the last African elephant at Johannesburg Zoo, is under scrutiny following losing her male companion to illness in September. Many advocate for her relocation to a larger sanctuary to prevent her from spending her final years alone. This debate is particularly poignant given elephants’ known intelligence, strong social bonds, and emotional depth. The zoo has announced that Lammie will remain, with efforts underway to find her a new mate. Lammie’s situation parallels Happy, an Asian elephant at the Bronx Zoo in New York, who has lived alone in her enclosure for over a decade. While some activists push for Happy’s transfer to a sanctuary, the zoo maintains she is healthy and has established bonds with her caretakers and the other elephants. For 17 years, Lammie shared her life with Kinkel, a rescued male elephant. Since his death on September 4, she has been solitary, prompting some conservation groups to argue for her relocation. Audrey Delsin
A wild elephant in eastern Thailand brought traffic to a complete stop as he appeared to show his young companion how to grab food from passing vehicle
Drivers were forced to halt as the two elephants, an adult and a juvenile, stepped onto the road in Chachoengsao and began helping themselves to food from a parked vehicle
Watch the video at the end.
One elephant was caught on camera pulling bags of salt from a silver Toyota Hilux and tossing them onto the road. Before that, the pair had taken sugarcane, which they happily chewed on.
Wildlife ranger Amnouy Artchula recorded this surprising scene near the Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary, a national park that houses hundreds of wild elephants.
According to Ms. Artchula, the adult elephant likely taught the younger one how to scavenge food from passing cars.
She explained, “The elephants are well aware of how to stop cars to get food, even if the drivers don’t offer it willingly. In this instance, the older elephant demonstrated to the younger one how to get food, possibly his son or another juvenile in the group.”
Wild elephants frequently roam the nearby forests and occasionally wander the road searching for food.
Ms. Artchula emphasized that elephants can be friendly to humans if they are treated with respect. “We urge all drivers to avoid harming any wildlife. We should live together peacefully,” she added.
Thailand is home to an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 elephants. Around half live in the wild within national parks, like those featured in the video, while the others are domesticated.
Wild elephants face ongoing threats from human activity, leading to the Wildlife Sanctuary’s establishment in 1977.
According to the Thai Department of National Parks, the elephant population in Khao Ang Rue Nai was 219 in 2008. Each year, around 20 elephant calves are born in the region.
This memorable incident occurred on February 2
Read more Elephant News.
Comments
Post a Comment