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In a bid to reverse the precipitous decline of elephants in the wild, Thailand's Queen Sirikit has encouraged an experiment to release some from the royal household. The results could be significant for other parts of the world with plummeting elephant populations, writes Leyla Alyanak. Three domesticated elephants have been released into the wild in Lampang, Thailand in what scientists believe is the first experiment of its kind in the world. "We're trying to answer a simple question: Is releasing a large number of elephants into the wild a realistic proposition?" said Robert Mather, head of WWFÑWorld Wide Fund For Nature Thailand Project Office. "If this works, it may open doors to a wave of reintroduction and have implications worldwide wherever there are elephants." Little Room to Maneuver This is an important question in a country whose wild elephant population has plummeted from 4,000 20 years ago to 1,500 today. Elephants in Thailand have little room for maneuver and their forest habitat is degraded. Often, it consists of no more than small patches with insufficient food and water to support any sizable population. Forests also face threats from ongoing mega-projects including controversial pipelines, dams, and roads. Forests have been severely damaged by logging, shifting agriculture, and tourism development. Thailand chalked up a significant deforestation rate of 2.6 per cent a year, even after logging was banned in 1989. When elephants can't find food in the forest, they head for villages, and one of the main threats to their survival in the wild is the conflict between animals and people. Male elephants who do find sanctuary in the forest are still sought after for their tusks. Unlike their African sisters, female Asian elephants don't have tusks. Now, scientists are harboring the hope that a new generation may help repopulate the dwindling herd. The Queen's Project In this operation three middle-aged elephants, ranging from 30-60 years, have been let loose after spending two years rehearsing. "It was the Queen's idea," said Dr. Mather, referring to Her Majesty Queen Sirikit of Thailand. "A first attempt failed because the elephants weren't ready. This time, we think they are." The Royal Veterinarian, an important figure at court, agrees. "I'm confident that, after the observations of the past few months, the elephants will stay in the forest and not try to come out," said Dr. Phipathachatr Disakul. "It is the best part of the forest, with the richest food supply and the most water." The reintroduction project, funded by WWF, is supervised by a royal officer in conjunction with the forestry department, the governor of Lampang province, and the Forest Industries Organization, a timber group which has been housing the elephants in its Thai Elephant Conservation Centre. Thai scientists are keen to see results from this work. Not only does the country suffer a dearth of wild elephants, but it faces a glut of domesticated ones. After logging was banned, the number of ÒunemployedÓ elephants shot up, putting financial pressure on owners. This pressure is becoming particularly acute as the country's economy continues its downhill slide. With upkeep running as high as US$15 a day per animal, some owners have resorted to releasing ill-prepared beasts into the forest. If releases were more systematic and better supervised, the elephants would face improved survival odds once they were freed. But releasing a tame elephant is not as simple as it might seem. "Without training it won't work," said Dr. Phipathachart. "Some elephants have become extremely close to humans and, when they see people, they approach them to ask for food. They are even afraid of other animals, which is why we are training these three to live in the jungle." The Freed Three The three elephants in question--Malai, Boualoi, and Boonmee--have spent months getting used to the forest. At first they were tied to a tree by a 25-meter chain and hobbled. After a time the hobbles were removed, and finally the chains were untied. In preparation for their release, they were harnessed with giant radio collars that look like belts for an overweight Santa Claus. Two of the collars contain a radio tracking device. But the third is unique, sending signals skyward to U.S. weather satellites Tiros 11 and 14. By tracking the elephants' movements, scientists will try to find out whether relatively domesticated elephants can survive in the wild, whether they'll stay away from villages and fields in their search for food, whether they can reproduce, and whether they will build the social bonds they need in order to live together as a herd. If all goes well, the three cows may be joined by a bull later this year. "Our main hope is that nothing goes wrong, that the elephants don't take off and raid crops and kill people," said Dr. Michael Stuwe, a biologist who specializes in tracking as a research associate for the U.S.-based Smithsonian Institution. People are no longer accustomed to seeing wild elephants, he said, and they may react badly to their presence. To counter this, plans are underway for a major awareness and education campaign aimed at villagers who live around the forest. In spite of the risks, scientists believe it's worth the effort. "This is our first chance ever at trying to increase wild elephant populations other than by trying to prevent their decrease," said Dr. Stuwe. "If this works, we're looking at the whole of Thailand, at reintroducing elephants into protected areas from where wild elephants have long disappeared." A successful experiment would show that release of large numbers of elephants into the wild is actually possible, and it would help deal with the elephant unemployment crisis. There are 3,000 domesticated elephants in Thailand. That's twice the number of wild ones, and jobs are scarce for animals whose principal talent lies in rolling a log with their trunk. Thailand's history has long been intertwined with the elephant, which was used as a beast of war, especially against neighboring Burma. In peacetime, the elephants wandered the forests until hostilities broke out and they were needed again. Few wander the forests these days, but there's excitement in the air as scientists anxiously await the data which will arrive in the coming months. "If the project could simply bring back elephants to those areas where they have been eliminated," Dr. Stuwe declared, "it would be a dream come true." Leyla Alyanak is a freelance journalist living in Switzerland. This article is reprinted with permission from the World Wildlife Fund April Features. You can visit their site on the web at: http://www.wwfthai.ait.ac.th
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