Wild elephants of Khao Chamao still rile their neighbours

[Lite Beer]

Wild elephants of Khao Chamao still rile their neighbours
JUMPHOL NIKHOMRAK
THE SUNDAY NATION

RAYONG: -- THE LONGSTANDING problem of wild elephants from Khao Chamao mountain ridge in Rayong roaming into residential areas or eating fruit in local plantations has continued despite various measures adopted to try to stop this.

The dredging of large deep canals to keep them from crossing to villages and farmland only works in part of the year. When the canals are full of rain-soaked clay the |animals are able to cross, the head of a local rescue and disaster relief |charity Lamphun Yordyadee said.

Many areas damaged by the elephants need to be declared disaster zones, and lengthy efforts and interviews with villagers have only upset them, he said, as people were angry about damage to their crops and property.

Building salt licks for elephants had been a little helpful but had not ended the problem, while growing banana trees for the elephants had also not resolved the problem, as thousands of banana trees were consumed in little more more than a week, Lamphun said.

"A campaign to build salt licks for them to feed on can solve the problem for a while," he said, noting that the issue of wild elephants was highly sensitive - almost a case of |people dying [because of possible attacks] or elephants dying.

Awiruj Sapphaso, who has an 18-rai plantation where fruit is regularly eaten by the wild animals, said the planting of banana trees and building of salt licks could not save plantations from being ravaged by elephants from the wild.

Awiruj plans to cut down the fruit trees on his land and plant rubber trees instead - to solve his problem. "I hope that the wild elephants will not bother me in the next few years. My plantations have now become their passageway."

A herd of 30 elephants entered his plantations on Tuesday and fed on various fruit grown on his property. They also broke water tubes to drink from them, as it is currently a drought period in the wild.

Many fruit growers in the area have turned to cassava and rush to harvest crops - so the elephants don't dig up and eat up all cassava, while any fruit, either still on trees or harvested and stored for delivery, is moved promptly.

There are around 80 elephants in Khao Chamao national park, which connects to the Khao Chamao mountain ridge, where there are 280 to 300 elephants. Some herds return to the wild after entering residential areas or feeding on fruit, while many others stay overnight or a couple of days, before roaming to other areas and returning.

The mountain ridge, which connects with five tambon in Khao Chamao district in Rayong, covers a vast area in four other provinces where around 23,000 residents - mostly farmers and fruit growers - live.

A local school has been advised by its parents and teachers' association that a small forest behind it should be burnt out or dredged, as the elephants have regularly used it as a resting area.

But the director of Ban Khao Cha-ang Khrom Khlong, Bunwej Daeng-ngarm, said a lawsuit had been filed by forestry officials against villagers and local politicians who were preparing to do burning and dredging at that site.

A teacher, Natthakorn Rattana, said a large herd of elephants recently went on to the school football pitch and students were called back to stay in the rooms. "It is scary, but it occurs so often that we are used to it now," she said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Wild-elephants-of-Khao-Chamao-still-rile-their-nei-30253109.html

-- The Nation 2015-02-01

[englishoak]

Sorry but my sympathy lays entirely with the elephants and not the people.

[Puyai]

Who was there first?

[Robby nz]

Not about who you sympathise with or who was there first, it is that the elephants are breeding up to the stage where there is not enough habitat to sustain them.

In the past when that happened they started dying off from starvation and disease, now there are the man made plantations around which are far more productive than the jungle and the elephants are going out of the jungle to help themselves to that food resource, which means that the natural population check no longer exists and numbers can and will increase even more.

These are large beasties which need between 400 and 600 KG of food each a day, they have no fear of man and will go wherever they can to get that food and will have no hesitation in killing anyone who tries to stop them.

I have great empathy with forests and their inhabitants but know from experience in NZ that there can come a time when an animal population can get to the stage where they can destroy their forest habitat, in primitive times they would then die off and the forest would regenerate but things are different now and man has to be factored into the equation for the farmers and their crops are the ones who feed the rest of us.

What the answer is in relation to elephants is I don't know for it is an emotive subject and the wild Asian elephant is not in huge numbers but their habitat is also small and it would appear that in places the numbers have outgrown the habitat.

As far as the school is concerned a good (and cheap) option to try would be low voltage electric fences as used on farms elsewhere, they give a fearsome jolt without doing any actual damage, I know that from experience.

[Jeremy50]

Growing bananas on land belonging to elephants. What a dumbass.

[circusman]

Rain soaked clay ? I never saw clay absorb water. Some say the elephants were there first. Well, time has marched on since the elephants were first. Not much is the same since it was in the past. Really no solution to this problem.

[ratcatcher]

"A teacher, Natthakorn Rattana, said a large herd of elephants recently went on to the school football pitch......."

"Play up, play up and play the game"

[berybert]

The Elephants were there first.

If the farmers hadn't moved in and started planting trees from which the elephants eat from, then maybe the Elephants would have roamed a whole lot further.

So don't be to hard on the farmer, cause if it wasn't for them who knows next time you open your fridge door there just might be an Elephant inside it.

[iReason]

Not about who you sympathise with or who was there first, it is that the elephants are breeding up to the stage where there is not enough habitat to sustain them.

In the past when that happened they started dying off from starvation and disease, now there are the man made plantations around which are far more productive than the jungle and the elephants are going out of the jungle to help themselves to that food resource, which means that the natural population check no longer exists and numbers can and will increase even more.

These are large beasties which need between 400 and 600 KG of food each a day, they have no fear of man and will go wherever they can to get that food and will have no hesitation in killing anyone who tries to stop them.

I have great empathy with forests and their inhabitants but know from experience in NZ that there can come a time when an animal population can get to the stage where they can destroy their forest habitat, in primitive times they would then die off and the forest would regenerate but things are different now and man has to be factored into the equation for the farmers and their crops are the ones who feed the rest of us.

What the answer is in relation to elephants is I don't know for it is an emotive subject and the wild Asian elephant is not in huge numbers but their habitat is also small and it would appear that in places the numbers have outgrown the habitat.

As far as the school is concerned a good (and cheap) option to try would be low voltage electric fences as used on farms elsewhere, they give a fearsome jolt without doing any actual damage, I know that from experience.

I think you've made a good case for removing the people.

And then, the jungle will regenerate itself as well.

[Saan]

"A teacher, Natthakorn Rattana, said a large herd of elephants recently went on to the school football pitch......."

chang.jpg

"Play up, play up and play the game"

That's a quote about Rugby not Soccer.

Elephants playing Ruby would b worth seeing.

[berybert]

"A teacher, Natthakorn Rattana, said a large herd of elephants recently went on to the school football pitch......."

chang.jpg

"Play up, play up and play the game"

That's a quote about Rugby not Soccer.

Elephants playing Ruby would b worth seeing.

Ruby Tuesday by the Rolling Stones or Ruby Ruby Ruby by the Kaiser chiefs ?

[ratcatcher]

"A teacher, Natthakorn Rattana, said a large herd of elephants recently went on to the school football pitch......."

chang.jpg

"Play up, play up and play the game"

That's a quote about Rugby not Soccer.

Elephants playing Ruby would b worth seeing.

I was waiting for someone to pick up and run with that ball. "There's a breathless hush................"

[ratcatcher]

"A teacher, Natthakorn Rattana, said a large herd of elephants recently went on to the school football pitch......."

chang.jpg

"Play up, play up and play the game"

That's a quote about Rugby not Soccer.

Elephants playing Ruby would b worth seeing.

Ruby Tuesday by the Rolling Stones or Ruby Ruby Ruby by the Kaiser chiefs ?

No, Kenny Rogers.

[Saan]

"A teacher, Natthakorn Rattana, said a large herd of elephants recently went on to the school football pitch......."

chang.jpg

"Play up, play up and play the game"

That's a quote about Rugby not Soccer.

Elephants playing Ruby would b worth seeing.

Ruby Tuesday by the Rolling Stones or Ruby Ruby Ruby by the Kaiser chiefs ?

I was wrong it was actually about cricket - and war. It was written by Henry Newbolt in 1892 - a little before The Stones. 'Though by the look of him Mick Jagger could have been born about then.

[Nemesis7]

If these Elephants are angry or horny then its a serious problem as we read on the news, time to shift houses for many of these villagers

[Basil B]

Recall a documentary in Africa where a farmer put beehives round his property to ward of the elephants, and it worked.

[Robby nz]

Not about who you sympathise with or who was there first, it is that the elephants are breeding up to the stage where there is not enough habitat to sustain them.

In the past when that happened they started dying off from starvation and disease, now there are the man made plantations around which are far more productive than the jungle and the elephants are going out of the jungle to help themselves to that food resource, which means that the natural population check no longer exists and numbers can and will increase even more.

These are large beasties which need between 400 and 600 KG of food each a day, they have no fear of man and will go wherever they can to get that food and will have no hesitation in killing anyone who tries to stop them.

I have great empathy with forests and their inhabitants but know from experience in NZ that there can come a time when an animal population can get to the stage where they can destroy their forest habitat, in primitive times they would then die off and the forest would regenerate but things are different now and man has to be factored into the equation for the farmers and their crops are the ones who feed the rest of us.

What the answer is in relation to elephants is I don't know for it is an emotive subject and the wild Asian elephant is not in huge numbers but their habitat is also small and it would appear that in places the numbers have outgrown the habitat.

As far as the school is concerned a good (and cheap) option to try would be low voltage electric fences as used on farms elsewhere, they give a fearsome jolt without doing any actual damage, I know that from experience.

I think you've made a good case for removing the people.

And then, the jungle will regenerate itself as well.

Yep that's the solution until all the people are huddled in BKK and the elephants have taken over the rest of the country.

Will take quite a few years though, where do you stop with that idea ?

[Robby nz]

Rain soaked clay ? I never saw clay absorb water. Some say the elephants were there first. Well, time has marched on since the elephants were first. Not much is the same since it was in the past. Really no solution to this problem.

Rain makes clay slippery so the elephants cant negotiate the ditches.

[iReason]

Rain soaked clay ? I never saw clay absorb water. Some say the elephants were there first. Well, time has marched on since the elephants were first. Not much is the same since it was in the past. Really no solution to this problem.

Rain makes clay slippery so the elephants cant negotiate the ditches.

"When the canals are full of rain-soaked clay the animals are able to cross, the head of a local rescue and disaster relief charity Lamphun Yordyadee said."

[Robby nz]

Growing bananas on land belonging to elephants. What a dumbass.

Not quite as dumb as some posters who cant understand that the idea was to provide more feed for the elephants so the didn't have to go onto the farms.

If you ever go into a forest in this country you will see wild banana trees growing, they are a natural part of the forest and the elephants diet, the varieties you buy have all been adapted from those.

[Robby nz]

Rain soaked clay ? I never saw clay absorb water. Some say the elephants were there first. Well, time has marched on since the elephants were first. Not much is the same since it was in the past. Really no solution to this problem.

Rain makes clay slippery so the elephants cant negotiate the ditches.

"When the canals are full of rain-soaked clay the animals are able to cross, the head of a local rescue and disaster relief charity Lamphun Yordyadee said."

My mistake I obviously read the OP wrong, must try to do better. Heck that's what all my school reports used to say.

Would seem the canals fill with clay in the rainy season.

[h90]

Who was there first?

I don't know, do you know?

[Alwyn]

Sorry but my sympathy lays entirely with the elephants and not the people.

Why? People are part of nature too

[anon022]

Not about who you sympathise with or who was there first, it is that the elephants are breeding up to the stage where there is not enough habitat to sustain them.

In the past when that happened they started dying off from starvation and disease, now there are the man made plantations around which are far more productive than the jungle and the elephants are going out of the jungle to help themselves to that food resource, which means that the natural population check no longer exists and numbers can and will increase even more.

These are large beasties which need between 400 and 600 KG of food each a day, they have no fear off man and will go wherever they can to get that food and will have no hesitation in killing anyone who tries to stop them.

I have great empathy with forests and their inhabitants but know from experience in NZ that there can come a time when an animal population can get to the stage where they can destroy their forest habitat, in primitive times they would then die off and the forest would regenerate but things are different now and man has to be factored into the equation for the farmers and their crops are the ones who feed the rest of us.

What the answer is in relation to elephants is I don't know for it is an emotive subject and the wild Asian elephant is not in huge numbers but their habitat is also small and it would appear that in places the numbers have outgrown the habitat.

As far as the school is concerned a good (and cheap) option to try would be low voltage electric fences as used on farms elsewhere, they give a fearsome jolt without doing any actual damage, I know that from experience.

Wild elephants are in drastic decline, so you wasted your time.