Thailand will begin to control the birth of a small number of wild women this year, as the country is struggling with the growing problem of human elephants.
Asian elephants have been threatened since 1986. But Thai officials say security efforts mean that the country’s population is increasing at an 8 % rate every year, which has overwhelmed its forests. Due to this, animals have suffered rapidly wandering in nearby populations, which has damaged fields, homes and even deaths.
The proposal to use congenital control is controversial, with some campaigners arguing that the long -term effects on animals have not been tested enough. In South Africa, wild African elephants have used contraceptive.
Last year, a trial was held on the seven -growing Thai elephants using Birth Control Spokes, and officials say it has no negative effect. It will be given to wild elephants through a dart injection, usually fired into large muscles like a hip or front leg.
To help people affected by wildlife in the National Parks (DNP) Department, Dr. Sopkit Vent Puran Swan, director of the Center, said that about 20 wild women will be given to the elephants to control the birth. It has been calves, and it will continue for seven years.
Sopkit said that veterinarians will closely monitor selected elephants. “We have to examine them physically, and also check the hormone levels by collecting the blood of elephants. We want to check if the hormone is stable over the past seven years, and in the long run, how to the elephant. Influences.
He added that the purpose was not to prevent elephants from being fully reproduced, but rather to prevent reproduction in some animals, and it would be used alongside other steps to overcome human animal disputes].
Sopkit said, not only because of their dangerous status, but also because of cultural importance in Thailand, it was a sensitive issue to control the birth of elephants. “The elephant is our national animal, and also a symbol of Thailand. It is deep in our history.
There are 4,422 wild elephants in Thailand, half of which live in five areas of the forest, which has increased rapidly after their population increases. The biggest problem is the Eastern Forest Complex, which covers five provinces in eastern Thailand, and is around it around agricultural land and industry.
In Thailand and Asia, humans have expanded rapidly in the jungle areas, smashing traditional elephant housing, and often disrupting their access to resources. For communities in these areas, coexistence is a critical and dangerous struggle. The dispute between animals and people can be financially disastrous for humans, and traumatic and – the worst – fatal to both species.
Last year, 4,700 incidents of elephants were recorded from the eastern jungle, of which 19 were killed. According to the DNP, these incidents include 594 cases of damaged fields, 67 cases of damaged property and 22 injured locals.
Tan Wangol, a researcher at the Eastern Ethiopian Education Center, says human developments have not only snatched the traditional elephant residence but also snatched resources like water away from the forest, forcing elephants to roam out. Yes. At the same time, the farmers are filled with fields, sugarcane and other high energy fruits, encouraging them to go out of the jungle to eat. “In the jungle, the elephant usually takes 22 hours in search of food … they usually run up to 10 km unless they are filled. But around this agriculture it can be filled in an hour. The food is fine, “Tan said.
Tan said that the elephants in the forest needed to improve the residential conditions, Tan said, and also helped the nearby farmers adopt. “Farmers will probably have to reduce the size of the fields, so the elephants are less likely to harm,” he said.
He added that rubber farmers should be encouraged to work during the day, when the elephant is less likely to face. Trees are often tapped at night, when the weather is cool, as it is mostly effective, but official compensation helps them change working patterns.
“Animal rights and human rights should be balanced,” he said.
One of the numerous ways to overcome births is working to try to stop Thailand’s human elephants. It also deployed patrol officers and voluntary networks that seek elephants that have been wandered in populations, create barriers to fences, and create safe zones for elephants that often wander in human areas. There are The compensation is offered to those whose properties and fields are damaged.
Some people have argued that the land that humans has developed in the forest areas should be regained. Sopkit said, but it will be a very difficult task in areas where the industry and the community have already been established.
The DNP made public hearings on the proposed use of birth control, and is expected to manage it before the end of the year.
