Sumatran elephants trained to become tourist attraction<\/p>\n
By Bernard Estrade<\/p>\n
WAY KAMBAS, Indonesia (AFP): More than 140 elephants stretch
\nas far as the eye can see along a bare hilltop amidst the scraggy
\nforests of this southern region of Sumatra island.<\/p>\n
From time to time, raucous trumpeting resonates on top of the
\ncontinuous metallic jangling of heavy chains which hold the
\ntightly fettered legs of each pachyderm to a thick concrete post.<\/p>\n
Way Kambas, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) northeast of the
\nprovincial capital of Bandar Lampung, is the first and most
\nimportant of six centers set up in Sumatra since 1985 in a bid to
\ndeal with the elephants, threatened by population growth and
\nincreasing development.<\/p>\n
Here, the elephants learn \"to become productive,\" as the
\nofficial terminology states, and to become \"actors in economic,
\nnotably touristic, development.\"<\/p>\n
They are taught a profession: some are to work in the forest,
\ncarrying blocks of wood, while some will be trained to help
\ncontrol the herd and even capture wild elephants.<\/p>\n
Most, however, learn to play an elephantine form of soccer or
\nbasketball and perform circus numbers to the delight of tourists
\nwho crowd into Way Kambas on festival days and weekends.
\nOthers are destined for zoos.<\/p>\n
\"It's that or the slaughter house,\" said an environmental
\nspecialist, who requested anonymity, to explain why these so-
\ncalled \"training centers for elephants\" and the often brutal
\nmethods needed to train the animals are not condemned more loudly
\nby environmentalists.<\/p>\n
As in many other tropical countries confronted by the same
\nsituation, notably in Africa, the origins of the problem are
\nsimple.<\/p>\n
In 1905, Lampung province had a population of only 150,000
\ncompared with six millions today. Density rose from five
\ninhabitants per square kilometer to more than 180.<\/p>\n
And while the island is known for producing spices and
\nsandalwood, Sumatra has developed and now also produces petroleum
\nand lumber, the two principal sources of hard currency for
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
Indonesia had considered slaughtering the elephants. But,
\nafter much debate, officials created natural reserves and
\nnational parks to protect them.<\/p>\n
But the protected zones are not sufficient for the growing
\npopulation of Sumatran elephants, estimated to be between three
\nand four thousand.<\/p>\n
And, despite the protective measures, \"cohabitation\" between
\nelephant and human often doesn't go well. Farmers complain the
\nelephants regularly destroy their crops, and about a dozen people
\nare killed each year trying to protect their harvests.<\/p>\n
The elephants are often poisoned, the traditional control
\nmethod by the local population. Twelve elephant carcasses were
\nfound last month in a pit close to a plantation.<\/p>\n
Those arrested for the crime were put in prison and face trial
\nin coming weeks.<\/p>",
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