The Skinny Elephant

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Among the countless things that Covid-19 has shone a spotlight on is the complex, often harmful, relationship that humans have with nature. Tikiri reportedly collapsed in August after being forced to walk many kilometers during nightly parades for the Buddhist festival Esala Perahera while wearing an elaborate costume. Media reports indicated that she was just one of some 60 elephants taking part in the celebrations.* They continuously dive, for long periods of time - 20 minutes on average and about 100 minutes at maximum - and deep - 500 meters (1,640 feet) on average and about 1,500 meters (4,920 feet) at maximum - with only a few minutes breathing at the surface," Adachi said. Reports of underfed elephants amid Bali’s purported pivot towards sustainable tourism after the pandemic have reignited calls for a rethink of Bali’s elephant-tourism industry. Bates, L. A., J. H. Poole, and R. W. Byrne. “Elephant Cognition.” Current Biology 18, no. 13 (2008): R545.

In February 1944, Americans arrived and overtook the island. Most of the Japanese Army surrendered and died, except for Onoda, who managed to hide in the jungle. Santosa says BEC was given two months to find new investors and restructure the business, during which Hass’s NGO, the Jakarta Aid Network, fed their elephants and paid the keepers’ wages. Poole, J. H., and C. J. Moss. “Elephant Sociality and Complexity.” In Elephants and Ethics: Toward a Morality of Coexistence, edited by C. Wemmer and C. A. Christen, 69–98. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008. What Do Population-Level Welfare Indices Suggest about the Well-Being of Zoo Elephants?” Zoo Biology 29 (2008): 1–18. Clubb, R., M. Rowcliffe, P. Lee, K. U. Mar, C. Moss, and G. J. Mason. “Compromised Survivorship in Zoo Elephants.” Science 12 (2008): 1649.They are big animals and you’re not meant to see their bones. But that’s what they were – just skin and bones.” Government support Thongtip, N., S. Mahasawangkul, C. Thitaram, P. Pongsopavijtr, K. Kornkaewrat, A. Pinyopummin, T. Angkawanish, et al. “Successful Artificial Insemination in the Asian Elephant ( Elephas maximus) Using Chilled and Frozen-Thawed Semen.” Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology 7 (2009): 75. doi: 10.1186/1477-7827-7-75. A bit about the album... I was fascinated by the concept of ‘truth’ and intrigued by the concept of everyone having a different version of their truth... a personal viewpoint, their own narrative, their own story. The title plays a bit with shades of meaning - a ‘counter positioning’ if you like. The ‘other stories’ may challenge the truth, but ‘the truth’ retains that sense of the absolute. In the songs I hope to present the realities of different characters through short stories. Over time and through the pandemic however, different stories came to light and sometimes the focus would shift. Ultimately though, I have been living with these stories and these characters for some time now.

Staff said they still feed the elephants, but do not know whether the food is paid for by the owners or donations. In the car park, they offered a ‘selfie’ with an elephant for a fee, but refused to show the areas inside where the elephants were being housed. The owners of the camp did not respond to Al Jazeera’s requests for a response to the allegations. Varner, G. E., and M. C. Monroe. “Ethical Perspectives on Captive Breeding: Is It for the Birds?” Endangered Species UPDATE 8, no. 1 (1990): 27–29.

Risk vs. reward

People probably won’t remember me for being skinny, looking fit – looking “good”. And if they do, I’m not even sure that’s what I want to be remembered for – I’m a bit more than that. I want people to remember me for something that is a bit more than that. Gröning, K., and M. Saller. Elephants: A Cultural and Natural History. Cologne: Konemann Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, 1998. Plotnik, J. M., F. B. M. de Waal, D. Moore III, and D. Reiss. “Self-Recognition in the Asian Elephant and Future Directions for Cognitive Research with Elephants in Zoological Settings.” Zoo Biology 28 (2009): 1–13.

Elephants digest very little of the food they eat. So they’re always eating” he said. “They can eat up to 10 percent of their body weight in a single day.” The elephants were seized and transferred to a new zoo in Bali, where they have regained their weight and health [Supplied]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. Regan, T. “Are Zoos Morally Defensible?” In Ethics on the Ark, edited by B. G. Norton, M. Hutchins, E. E. Stevens, and T. L. Maple, 38–51. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1995. In 1952, the Japanese Government made one last attempt at getting any remaining Japanese soldiers to come home – they dropped leaflets drawn by family members of remaining soldiers – but Onoda still didn’t believe that the war was over and would go on to spend more than half of his life in the jungles of Lubang. Falk, J. H., E. M. Reinhard, C. L. Vernon, K. Bronnenkant, N. L. Deans, and J. E. Heimlich. Why Zoos and Aquariums Matter: Assessing the Impact of a Visit to a Zoo or Aquarium. Silver Spring, MD: Association of Zoos and Aquariums, 2007. 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.

A 2007 study by the World Wildlife Fund found there were as few as 2,400 Sumatran elephants left in the wild, and the number now is thought to have halved as a result of poaching for ivory, human-elephant conflict, and deforestation. Between 1980 and 2005 – the equivalent of only one and a half elephant generations – 67 percent of the potential Sumatran elephant’s habitat was lost. In the wild, the animal was listed as ‘critically endangered’ in 2012. Three of BEC’s 14 elephants were adopted by an unidentified zoo on the neighbouring island of Java. The remaining 11 were relocated to Tasta Wildlife Park, a modern new zoo that opened in June in Tabanan Regency, a lush mountainous region in south-central Bali. Kuntze, A. “Work-Related Illness: Hernia Perinealis, Bursitis Praepatellaris and Tyloma Olecrani in Female Circus Elephants ( Elephas maximus).” Erkrankungen der Zootiere 31 (1989): 185–87.

Government support

On October 7, the Indian government announced that it would start granting tourist visas again from October 15, after an 18-month hiatus. In a statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs said: “After considering various inputs, the MHA has decided to begin granting fresh Tourist Visas for foreigners coming to India through chartered flights with effect from October 15.” Independent (London). “Peter Singer: You Ask the Questions.” September 11, 2006. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/peter-singer-you-ask-the-questions-415524.html. Jensen, D., and K. Tweedy-Holmes. Thought to Exist in the Wild: Awakening from the Nightmare of Zoos. Santa Cruz, CA: No Voice Unheard, 2007.