Elephant Voices

Category: 1. General News, Events | Date: Oct 08 2009 | By: elephantvoices

We hope to see some of you during our lecture and fundraising tour in California from 17 to 29 October. We’re having events in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and in San Francisco. Oakland Zoo is hosting a reception and lecture on 28 October.

You will find all relevant information about the tour, with links to invitations/flyers, here.

Best wishes, Petter

Tags: elephantvoices, elephantvoices.org

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Category: 1. General News, 2. Field News Kenya, 4. Welfare News | Date: Sep 17 2009 | By: elephantvoices

In February we told the story about the baby elephant that fell into a man-made well west of Kilimanjaro, and how she ended up at the elephant orphanage at The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi.

You may read what we just posted on ElephantVoices, and see the video from the rescue either there or below. Sometimes a bad situation ends up ok - even though I’m sure Kibo is still missing his family!

Tags: amboseli, elephants, elephantvoices, granli, kenya, poole, siniya

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Category: 1. General News | Date: Jun 30 2009 | By: elephantvoices

In todays newsletter, sent out to ElephantVoices friends and contacts around the world, we gave an introduction to the second generation ElephantVoices.org as well as touching on some of the issues that have occupied us over the last few months. Supported by programmers at Verviant.com in Nairobi, we have built a new cyber home. Our main purpose has been to develop an efficient, flexible and creative platform for the online sharing of information about elephants - their behavior, communication and interests.

We apologise for not being able to launch the news section and the Video Database at this stage. And you may find that some things don’t function as they should - please let us know! Our overall goal is to continue to expand and improve the site in the years to come.

We invite you to take a tour on ElephantVoices!

Best wishes, Petter and Joyce

Tags: elephants, elephantvoices, elephantvoices.org, granli, poole

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Category: 1. General News, 4. Welfare News, 8. Education | Date: Jun 22 2009 | By: elephantvoices

We have been quiet for a long time here on WildlifeDirect, mainly because we’re working so hard to get our new and substantially expanded www.elephantvoices.org back online. The new website is much more than a presentation of what we do - it is, and will increasingly be, a bank of information for anyone interested in elephants - their basic behavior, communication and welfare - in the wild and in captivity. As wild elephants are squeezed into smaller and smaller spaces there are a growing number of issues that affect their welfare and survival and we will be highlighting these. The website will be available in a week or so - we’ll inform you as soon as it goes online.

One of issues that has taken time and effort over many years, is Joyce’s participation as expert witness in the Ringling case. After 8 years of preparation (4 for Joyce) the case was finally heard in February. You will find a recent news update on KTNV ABC about the case here, and a link to Court Filings and Exhibits for the Ringling Bros. Elephant Abuse Case here. The verdict will be delivered by Judge Sullivan in a few weeks time.

Over the last four years we have also been working to convince the Norwegian government to ban the use of elephants in Norwegian circuses. One of three currently on the road, Circus Agora, decided to act before being told to and went animal-free this year. To show our support for the change we attended a performance when they were in town a couple of weeks ago. We were truly impressed by their program, and hope that more and more circuses around the world will follow suit. Circus Agora still has an elephant as a mascot - but this one has four legs and two bodies - one front and one back! Fair enough…

We wish all WD visitors and bloggers a great summer!

Joyce and Petter

Tags: agora, elephantvoices, elephantvoices.org, ringling

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Category: 1. General News, 3. Fields News Sri Lanka, 5. Research, Support Appeals | Date: May 18 2009 | By: elephantvoices

As we continue to plan for the next phase of our Minneriya-Kaudulla Elephant Project, we have been following the dramatic situation in Sri Lanka along with the rest of the world. We look forward to a peaceful future for all Sri Lankans!

It is more critical than ever to ensure the reduction of conflict between elephants and people - a goal at the core of our project. Marketing of beautiful Sri Lanka including Minneriya’s and Kaudulla’s elephants could in itself contribute toward a new era - from all perspectives sustainable tourism will be important for people AND for the conservation of wildlife.

Our Sri Lankan colleague, Manori Gunawardena, will be visiting us from 15th to 25 June. With new developments we have lots of planning issues to deal with as well as adding some 300 individual elephants into the project’s elephant ID database on our high-speed internet connection. Prior to Manori’s working visit with us, she will attend a GIS course at Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC to learn mapping techniques that are an integral part of the project. The cost for the course is covered by Smithsonian Institute.

The remainder of the budget for Manori’s travel from 30th May to 25 June is:

Flights: Colombo - UK - Washington - UK - Norway - Colombo, $1626
Lodging Washington: $1120
Visa UK and Norway, and airport transfer DC: $240

ElephantVoices is committed to cover the total cost of $2986, and in the current financial climate any contribution is highly welcome!

Cheers, Petter and Joyce

Tags: conservation, elephant, elephants, elephantvoices, joyce poole, manori gunawardena, minneriya, petter granli

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Category: 1. General News, 4. Welfare News, Publications | Date: Apr 14 2009 | By: elephantvoices

Several WD visitors have asked us where they can get a copy of the book An Elephant In The Room: The Science and Well-Being of Elephants in Captivity. We do know that the book will be made available on amazon.com, but we are also aware that that may still take a bit of time. We will keep you updated. The opening chapter in the book, Mind and Movement: Meeting the interests of elephants, is written by ElephantVoices’ Joyce Poole and Petter Granli. You may open and download the chapter here (.pdf-file, 2,2 mb).

Cover photos by Petter Granli, ElephantVoices.

Tags: "elephant welfare", captivity, David Hancocks, Debra L. Forthman, elephants, elephantvoices, joyce poole, Lisa F. Kane, Paul F. Waldau, petter granli

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Category: 1. General News, 4. Welfare News | Date: Mar 14 2009 | By: elephantvoices

The Performing Animal Welfare Society’s (PAWS) 25th Anniversary Gala and Conference takes place at ARK2000 in San Andreas, California, from 24 to 26 April. Joyce is one of the keynote speakers, and will participate throughout the conference.  Join leading wildlife and captive wildlife experts for an interactive full 3-Day Conference!

Tags: ark2000, elephants, elephantvoices, joyce poole, paws

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Category: 1. General News, 2. Field News Kenya | Date: Feb 18 2009 | By: elephantvoices

One of the few bright spots in this uncommonly dry February that we find ourselves in, has been being able to observe a certain young elephant by the name of Cathy. Although only ten years old, Cathy has consistently displayed the characteristics of a future matriarch. Every time we come across the CB family, which she belongs to, she immediately catches our attention with her antics. She is exceptionally loquacious and has especially taken an interest in being an allomother to all of the calves in the family.

Any time there is a skirmish amongst the calves, Cathy is sure to be found pacifying both parties until all is calm again. Aside from her innate motherly qualities that she regularly displays, it is her assertiveness that truly defines her. She is the first to greet arriving family members, she already gives “Let’s Go” rumbles to move the family along, and she can often be seen giving “Contact Calls” to get in touch with distant family members. This may not seem too significant, but let me remind you that she’s 10! This family has many older, dominant females and yet this young, precocious female has shown matriarchal attributes that far exceed her years.

Until next time!

Cheers, Blake (Murray)

Cathy with three calves from the CB family.  She is the largest one, second from the right. (Photo: Blake Murray)

Amboseli elephants dusting (Photo: P. Granli)

Tags: africa, behavior, behaviour, elephant, elephants, elephantvoices, kenya, matriarch

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Category: 1. General News, 2. Field News Kenya | Date: Feb 04 2009 | By: elephantvoices

After a early morning recording session last week Blake and I were told by our ATE research assistant Katito Sayialel that an elephant baby was reported stuck in a well west of Amboseli National Park. We decided to go together, and followed behind the cloud of dust from the Amboseli Elephant Research Project vehicle. Despite lots of “shadows” in terms of cellphone contact with the maasai that had called the AERP team it didn’t take long before we found the right location a few meters from the Tanzanian border. Helpful maasai with cows and donkeys were all around, and told us that the baby had been in the well and struggling since last night.

To get a 400 pound elephant baby out of a well is not a piece of cake. And one thing is to get it up, another is to avoid ending up in the middle of an upset elephant family when the baby cries for help. Katito decided that we should try to look for the baby’s family, to find out how realistic it would be to get the baby back to them after a rescue. She also got in contact with Kenya Wildlife Service, to get their advice and assistance. 
The well was not deeper than 1,2 meter, but deep enough to make it impossible for the less than one year old baby to get out.

Since Blake’s job for ElephantVoices during a 10 week field stay is to record rare calls, we had to try to get the low and very sad-sounding complaints from the baby on our Nagra digital recorder.

After having tried for quite some time to locate the family, and fearing that the baby could get serious injuries by the numerous attempts to get up, we had to take a decision what to do. Katito had already been in contact with the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (their Orphans Project) in Nairobi, and they were ready to come and pick up the baby by plane. We decided to lift the baby carefully up with ropes around the belly together with our maasai friends. Next step was to get him into the back of our rustic Landcruiser - the first elephant passenger ever… Luckily we had a foam-pad (normally used as camera support) to provide as head-rest.

The baby was for natural reasons exhausted when finally out of the well, and quickly fell asleep when safe and sound in our field vehicle. In the photo we’re at the Amboseli airstrip waiting for Sheldricks people.

The baby was well fed and looked strong and not too uneasy when arriving at the air strip, and an hour afterwards she was on the way to the orphanage in Nairobi with the very experienced Sheldrick staff that came to pick her up.

I’m of course not happy at all that a baby elephant got separated from her family - but I do think what happened was the best solution considering the circumstances. That Blake and I had a very different day from what we expected is part of our story. We’re crossing our fingers for the baby from the well.

Cheers, Petter

Tags: aerp, amboseli, elephant baby, elephants, elephantvoices, field, sheldrick

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Category: 1. General News, 4. Welfare News, Elephants in captivity | Date: Feb 03 2009 | By: elephantvoices

Joyce is currently in Washington DC to testify as expert witness in the legal case against Ringling Brothers Circus. She will be in court as the first witness tomorrow, Wednesday February 4th.  The courtroom is open to the public. The New York Times are among media that covers the suit - this article is from January 31st.

Tags: captivity, elephants, elephantvoices, ringling

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