It’s easy to look at an elephant shackled by both front feet to the ground, with open wounds, and blame the mahout. But I challenge you to learn the facts. Elephants belong to hotel owners In … [Read more...]
Foot Trimming in Bardia, Nepal
I'm back from Bardia. What an adventure! It was a 10-hour drive through mountains on rough roads. The 19-year-old driver of our rental truck scared the daylights out of all of us with his speeding, … [Read more...]
Capture is an ill-conceived solution to human-elephant conflict
The competition between humans and elephants for space and resources has reached an all-time high in India. The problem stems from both species’ dependence on forest resources for … [Read more...]
Report: Chain-Free Project, National Trust for Nature Conservation — Biodiversity Conservation Center
Chain-Free Hattisar Project National Trust for Nature Conservation – Biodiversity Conservation Center Chitwan, Nepal REPORT Project completed Jan 10, 2013 Department of National Parks and … [Read more...]
in the dark of night
A hauntingly familiar sound of clanking chains passed by my window, so close I thought perhaps my wall would be crushed. The clink clink clink of cold metal bracelets was unmistakable; an escapee was … [Read more...]
A Blessing
Like another piece of discarded trash tossed to the side of the road, a young puppy lay prone, unnoticed. At first glance I thought she was dead but then I saw her labored breathing and heard her … [Read more...]
ke garne…what to do?
I have held off writing this blog for weeks hoping that my experience was anecdotal. I also wondered if sharing my experience and expressing my concern could be beneficial or would simply broaden the … [Read more...]
A precious soul lost
It's been a pretty intense week. A two-year-old female calf at the breeding center was diagnosed with herpes. Even though she received treatment, she passed away two days later. Herpes is … [Read more...]
Back in Sauraha, Chitwan, Nepal
Working in Asia the past two years I have learned a tremendous amount about how culture and tradition affect collaborative conservation efforts. Among the most important lessons is the need to ensure … [Read more...]
Bahabur’s surgery
Oct 17th [Warning: This post includes graphic photos.] My first morning in Assam, I awoke to learn there was an elephant emergency. Thirty-five-year-old, Bahabur, a skilled koonki … [Read more...]
Monsoon Season is Over – September E-Newsletter
There are more than one hundred elephants awaiting pedicures in India and Nepal. Wow -- I can hardly catch my breath at the thought of it! This is my passion these days -- foot trimming. The joy of … [Read more...]
Drag Chains and Training
Elephant’s World posted two videos on YouTube last week of me training a young elephant named Jon (you can view them here and here). I was surprised to see the videos and happy to know they … [Read more...]
