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Elephants pit

Elephants pit ANJU Sharma's reply to my letter (Down To Earth, November 15, 1994) is replete with misinterpretations, incomplete understanding and, in at least one instance, a downright falsehood.

Nowhere do I state that all elephants in a population would regularly raid crops. I have recognised that only some among the males are notorious raiders. (See The Asian Elephant and Elephants Days and Nights). In the case of female-led family groups, I did not know the identity of crop-raiders but have mentioned a similar possibility of some herds doing most of the raiding (PhD thesis Indian Institute of Science, 1985, pg 317). I have also emphasised individual differences in the behaviour of elephants towards humans and the role environmental influences play in shaping them.

Perhaps Sharma was misled by the fact that, while calculating average frequencies of raiding, average consumption of crops, etc, I have used the figures pertaining to the total elephant population; but that is how averages are calculated.

In terms of managing the elephant population through capture to minimise crop damage, I have clearly stated that both kinds of raiders, family herds and adult males, have to be captured (The Asian Elephant).

If Sharma had cared to go through pages 123-125 of the book, she would have realised that of the total economic loss to crops in my study area and during my study time, about 60 per cent was due to adult male elephants and 40 per cent due to family herds (which includes sub-adult males).

Surely, Sharma, who seems otherwise amazingly well-versed in all aspects of elephant ecology, should have known that during the past decade poaching has drastically reduced the proportion of adult male elephants. With this, the extent of crop damage has already come down substantially.

In Elephant Days and Nights,

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