The Asian Elephant – R Sukumar

The Asian elephant has had a unique cultural association with people for over 4000 years. Unfortunately, elephants and people have also been at conflict, resulting in the decline of elephants throughout their former range in southern Asia. This book provides an ecological analysis of elephant-human interaction and its implications for the conservation of elephants, based mainly on a study carried out in southern India. It begins with an historical perspective of the decline of elephants and summarizes their current status and major conservation issues. It then describes the interrelationship between seasonal movement and foraging in the wild. The impact of elephants on the vegetation and the controversial issue of culling in management are discussed in the Asian context. The book moves on to the interaction between elephants and people ? the raiding of cultivated crops and killing of people by elephants, and the reverse process of habitat manipulation and killing of elephants by people. The impact of this interaction, in particular the selective poaching of male elephants for ivory, on the population dynamics of elephants is analyzed. The ecological data provide the basis for recommendations on elephant conservation and management, keeping in view the socioeconomic imperatives of the Asian region. This book is the first comprehensive account of Asian elephant ecology and of the interaction between people and a large, potentially destructive animal. … an outstanding treatise on this remarkable animal The Quarterly Review of Biology … novel, well written and convincingly argued … Journal of Applied Ecology … an important source for students and professionals …? Journal of Wildlife ManagementThe Asian Elephant – R Sukumar