Letter from Ed Stewart (6/12/99)

More Information About IPAN Animal Refuge Veterinary Services Education Animal Conditions Project Reports "Loki" the Indian Elephant and related issues How you can help

12 June, 1999

To Whom It May Concern:

United States Congressman Sam Farr contacted the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) in the latter part of 1998 regarding an urgent elephant problem in Tamil Nadu, India. A forty year old tuskless bull elephant had been captured by the Indian Department of Forestry; the injuries he had sustained during capture were described as "severe". Information regarding the elephant’s plight had been supplied to Congressman Farr by India Project for Animals and Nature (IPAN), an organization which is located near the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary in the south of India.

After viewing a video tape of the elephant’s capture and treatment and consulting with IPAN representatives and Congressman Farr, I traveled to India to observe the injured elephant and meet with veterinarians and officials who were responsible for the elephant’s care. While in India, I stayed at the IPAN refuge in Masinagudi for four days.

The IPAN facility is home to approximately 200 domestic animals; donkeys, cattle, goats, cats and dogs, most of which are there suffering from injuries caused by automobiles, wild animal attacks and acts of violence by humans.

A healthy domestic animal population is critical to the welfare of native wildlife, particularly in Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary and surrounding areas, where large numbers of indigenous wildlife cohabit with domestic animals. The outreach programs of disease prevention and population control initiated by IPAN are an important component in maintaining healthy populations of wildlife in Mudumalai.

PAWS operates two sanctuaries for captive wildlife in northern California in the United States, both of which I have constructed and now manage, containing over twenty different species of animals, including African and Asian elephants. During my stay at IPAN, I was quite interested in meeting and observing the staff and comparing techniques of animal care.

IPAN’s staff are local village and tribal people who were obviously learning a new respect for animals. I observed human/animal relationships at the IPAN sanctuary that I saw nowhere else in India. Early one morning, I watched a local village woman, part of IPAN’s staff, sitting on the ground with three happy, healthy dogs jumping and rolling in her lap. The woman was smiling and laughing aloud, one of the most compelling scenes I observed in India where dogs are viewed as a nuisance. The staff began their efficient business of animal care quite early in the morning; the IPAN jeep never leaving the facility without medicine and food for the village animals. Most of the domestic dogs in the area have been neutered and they all run to the vehicle for their daily biscuits. A contagious humane attitude spreads from the IPAN compound to the surrounding villages.

Local people report sick, injured or dead wild animals such as crop-raiding elephants to IPAN twenty-four hours a day. During my stay, IPAN accepted an injured dog at midnight; I accompanied staff members to a local village to administer emergency attention to an injured domestic calf who had been attacked by a wild leopard and I was present when villagers reported an elephant who had been killed by farmers and her orphaned baby who was in extreme distress.

Nigel Otter, the IPAN refuge manager, is quite an impressive person who has dealt with a variety of animals from elephants to bunnies with incredible confidence and skill. His compassion, concern and expertise are a great asset to the organization; they are most fortunate to have a person of his caliber monitoring the animals at the refuge.

As a shelter manager for over fifteen years, I can personally attest to the difficulties involved in committing to lifetime care of animals. Killing, eating or otherwise disposing of unwanted animals is not an option for a bona fide shelter and animals often live longer in sanctuaries; the time and resources necessary for their care can be staggering.

IPAN’s involvement with "Loki", the bull elephant, is beyond their normal scope; it has placed a strain on their funds and other resources. The controversy regarding the ethics of capturing, injuring, chaining, confining and "training" this unfortunate bull only roils the political waters and drains funds from a young, energetic organization like IPAN.

Most shelters avoid controversial issues and concentrate on fund raising fluffy little stories of animal rescue. IPAN refused to ignore Loki’s suffering and continues to work on his behalf despite the risks involved in challenging the system which prevails in India. They are to be commended for their courage and dedication.

Sincerely,

Ed Stewart
Sanctuary Director
The Performing Animal Welfare Society
P.O. Box 849
Galt, CA 95632
Tel: 209-745-PAWS
Fax: 209-745-1809
Email: elephus@softcom.net