“If man aspires towards a righteous life, his first act of abstinence is from injury to animals”. Albert Einstein
TAKING ELEPHANTS OUT OF THE ROOM
In 2015, Michele Pickover the director of the EMS Foundation, authored a special report titled “The Elephant in the Room, Elephants in Captivity in South Africa.”
The findings of this report provided the motivation for, amongst other groundbreaking initiatives, the organisation of a conference. A conference to include national and international elephant experts, elephant behavioural specialists and elephant interest groups. The aim of the conference would be to discuss and to debate, to find a way forward regarding the issues surrounding elephants in captivity.
The event, funded by the EMS Foundation, was called “Taking Elephants Out of the Room”.
On the 6th of September 2019 like-minded people from around the world gathered in person and virtually in Hermanus, in the Western Cape of South Africa, to discuss elephants and elephants in captivity.
The conference, known locally as an Indaba, was the first consultative gathering of global elephant specialists and elephant interest groups in Africa, specifically dealing with elephants in captivity, and the role Africa has in sending elephants into captivity, and what collectively needs to be done in order to pave the way to free them from the metaphorical room.
The overwhelming message from the Indaba was that elephants belong in the wild and must be returned to the wild in all cases where this is a legitimate possibility. Given what what is commonly known about who elephants are and the conditions under which they thrive, there is no reason to keep them in captivity.
Elephants are sentient beings who live socially complex lives through relationships which radiate out from a their offspring bond through families, clans, and sub populations. Independent males form long-term friendships. Elephants communicate through more than 300 gestures, complex speech and glandular secretions. They contemplate, negotiate, collaborate, plan and are aware of death. They care about their lives.
At the close of the Indaba it was resolved that an alliance of diverse researchers, workers, and organisations which embody values, knowledge and objectives comprising a body of expertise from scientific, conservation, legal, welfare, protection, rights, social justice, economic and advocacy communities should be established.
“Such an alliance should focus on interactions with local and international authorities, industry, corporations, communities, NGOs, and others to provide updated information, promote new policies and strategies with the aim to free captive elephants through rehabilitation and reintroduction to the wild” said Michele Pickover.
The overarching goal of such an alliance should be to facilitate a strong social movement that advocates and litigates locally within Africa and globally, to reverse the culture of imprisonment, captive breeding, capture, abuse, exhibition, management, handling, forced interaction, trading and hunting and any exploitation of African elephants.
The alliance has been formed and it is formally known as PREN, the Pro Elephant Network.
The full report and Chairperson’s Summary of “Taking Elephants Out of the Room Indaba – Elephants in Captivity – Africa’s Role” is published on the page called “our work”.
Media:
https://conservationaction.co.za/resources/reports/taking-elephants-out-of-the-room/
Image: Taking the Elephant Out of the Room – Conservation Action Trust; For Zoo Elephants Social Lives May be More Important than Space – Washington Post; Zoo is Like a Prison – Editorial Greensboro.com
Cover Image: Gurcharan Roopra https://gurcharanroopra.com
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