The Elephant Dilemma

Culture, Coexistence, and Conservation

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
— Mahatma Gandhi

A Literary Encounter

Aano is a historical Malayalam novel by G.R. Indugopan, serialized in Mathrubhumi Weekly in 2023. It tells the poignant story of an albino elephant named Aano (from Aana, Malayalam for elephant, and Aano, its Portuguese version), gifted by Portuguese King Manuel I to Pope Leo X. Before that, Aano and his loyal mahout, Cheeran, undertook an arduous journey from Malabar to Rome. Their adventures end tragically on foreign soil. Honoured with the Kerala Sahitya Academy Award for Best Novel in 2024, Aano rekindled my thoughts about elephants — not just in history, but in our modern lives.

Who Are They?

Many are unaware that today’s elephants belong to three species: the African savannah (Loxodonta africana), African forest (Loxodonta cyclotis), and Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). These are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea, whose extinct relatives include mammoths and mastodons.

Elephants are deeply embedded in the religious, cultural, social, and economic lives of many societies. In India, they are revered as sacred beings — especially through Lord Ganesha, the deity of auspicious beginnings. Caparisoned elephants are a majestic part of temple festivals, particularly in Kerala.

Ecologically, elephants are keystone species. They help maintain biodiversity and play vital roles in forest and grassland ecosystems. They are also vital to wildlife tourism and have long been part of zoos and circuses.

Globally, elephants have appeared in art since Paleolithic times. In India, they were war animals, timber haulers, and symbols of royal power, their role dating back to the Indus Valley Civilization and Sanskrit texts from 1500 BCE.

Personal and Cultural Memories

Like most Keralites (most Indians), I have a special fondness for elephants. They are part of my earliest memories. In my younger days many of the well to do families in Kerala used to maintain elephants at home, as status symbols.

During the annual temple festival in my native village, an elephant would carry the deity’s idol around the sanctum to the rhythmic beat of drums and pipes. Majestic and intimidating, with tusks and the golden nettipattam (forehead ornament) glinting against its dark skin, the elephant inspired awe and fear in equal measure.

At school in a nearby village, we waited eagerly for the elephant to pass through the temple gate. We watched as it was fed rice balls, tender coconut leaves, or ripe bananas by devotees.

After moving to Trivandrum, my visits to the zoo were not complete without seeing the friendly zoo elephants — a mother and her calf. I have watched numerous processions led by caparisoned elephants, passing through the Main Road, in front of our home.

Elephants also lived in our imaginations. I recall the stirring Malayalam poem Sahyānte Makan (The Son of the Sahya Hills) by Vyloppilli Sreedhara Menon. It mourns the destruction of Kerala’s Western Ghats and the dislocation of tribal communities, using the elephant as a metaphor for nature — wild, majestic, and threatened by domestication.

On a lighter note, I remember a Malayalam comedy in which a poor family receives an elephant under the IRDP scheme. Bought from Bihar’s Sonepur Mela, it only understands Hindi. The Hindi teacher wife ends up commanding it, creating hilarious situations. And who can forget the heartwarming Hindi classic Hathi Mere Saathi, beloved by generations?

In the Wild — All That Was Free

“All good things are wild and free,” wrote Thoreau. But today, that freedom is under siege. Kerala’s news channels regularly report incidents of man-elephant conflict. One unforgettable image was of Arikomban — a wild tusker named for his love of rice — being tranquilized, roped, and trucked into Tamil Nadu’s forests. His herd watched from a distance. Despite the destruction he caused, many villagers wept. He had become a part of their lives — feared, yet familiar.

India is home to about 30,000 wild Asian elephants, one-fifth of which live in Assam. Their habitats range from dry deciduous to evergreen forests and grasslands, across 13 countries in South and Southeast Asia. Yet, they are among the most endangered species.

With only 4% of India’s land under Protected Areas, elephants often live outside these zones. An estimated 70% of Asian elephants live outside protected areas. Habitat loss pushes them into farms and settlements. In states like Assam, fragmentation of forest corridors is severe. Crop damage spans 0.8 to 1 million hectares annually, affecting the livelihoods of over 500,000 cultivators.

The toll is tragic. Over 500 humans die annually in elephant-related incidents. Between 2018 and 2021, 222 elephants died due to electrocution, 45 were killed by trains, 29 by poaching, and 11 by poisoning. From 2019 to 2022, 1,579 people lost their lives in such conflicts.

Some hope comes from initiatives like Hathi Mitra in Assam, wherein volunteers alert railways to elephant movements, preventing accidents.

Seeking Solutions

“The wildlife and its habitat cannot speak, so we must, and we will,” declared Theodore Roosevelt. What can we do?

Communities have responded with local innovations: digging trenches, planting thorny lemon trees, installing beehive fences, and preserving wildlife corridors. Some villages relocate entirely. Others use volunteers to monitor elephant movement. Translocation of rogue elephants and education on coexistence are also practiced.

Technology to the Rescue

Modern technology offers promising tools. Solar-powered fences deliver safe, mild shocks. Radio collars, drones, sensory alarms, and AI-powered alert systems (including infrared and thermal imaging) now help track elephant activity. WhatsApp and SMS alerts warn villagers in real time.

Interestingly, an AI-generated elephant — a virtual alternative for festivals and film — has been developed to reduce the suffering of real elephants.

Hospitals for Elephants

In a heartening development, India opened its first Elephant Hospital in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, under the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre (ECCC). It provides rescued elephants with medical treatment, rehabilitation, and safety. The Ambani Group has since launched a second facility at Vantara, in Jamnagar, Gujarat.

Conservation and Its Challenges

India has made significant strides in conservation: 5% of its land is protected, 1,000+ national parks and sanctuaries established, and 50 tiger reserves. Project Elephant has completed three decades. Yet implementation lags behind.

As one farmer near Corbett National Park cynically remarked: “Only the government knows why the government is saving the tiger.” The same could be said for elephants.

Protected areas are often too close to human settlements, with places of worship and pilgrims creating noise and disruption. As a leading conservationist noted:

"Given we have over a billion people, it’s amazing we don’t have more conflict."

Human-wildlife conflicts carry financial, health, and emotional costs. Agricultural losses disrupt food chains and affect global trade. Unfortunately, often strategies are fragmented and reactive. Poor coordination, inadequate forest department preparedness, and lack of political will only deepen the crisis.

It is unfortunate that all political parties -both ruling and opposition- have rejected the Gadgil Committee recommendations on conserving the fragile eco-system of the Western Ghats of India, a natural habitat of elephants and thriving wildlife, in fact, primordial nature itself.

A Way Forward

A more holistic approach is urgently needed. This includes:

·        Integrated land-use planning

·        Creation of buffer zones

·        Engaging local communities in conservation

·        Investing in technology

·        Transparent governance and strong political commitment

As Anthony Douglas Williams reminds us:

“It’s not whether animals will survive, it’s whether man has the will to save them.”

(Note: -Based on an article by the author on the same subject in the Annual issue 2024 of Life Stream e-magazine)

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