IPAN Response to Professor Raman Sukumar (6/16/99)

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

June 16, 1999

Raman Sukumar
Center for Ecological Sciences
Indian Institute of Science
Bangalore 560 012
INDIA

Dear Prof. Sukumar:

This letter is the follow-up to my letter to you of May 7, 1999 in reply to your letter of April 22, 1999. We will use this opportunity to include various points of our executive report, which serves as an overview of our Project. Hopefully this will also serve to answer many of the questions and concerns that may arise in the future. This way, precious time and resources will not be wasted in correspondence which serves no purpose but to delay dialogue which should instead translate into timely action. We are pleased to have learned that you have been here in the U.S. meeting with many colleagues, government officials, and program and book supporters along with your colleague, Dr. Krishnamurthy. I hope your meetings were fruitful and will add to the collaborative networking that we all agree is essential for any creative dialogue and constructive action.

I note in your earlier reply to Congressman Sam Farr of March 12, 1999 that you felt there was a lack of "serious and mature dialogue….with the broader issues of conservation of species and their habitats." I must say that I am shocked and saddened by this statement because, as you know, IPAN has been addressing domestic animal overpopulation and related disease control for the very purpose of wildlife and habitat protection and conservation.

In fact, during our first meeting in Masinagudi at the Indian Institute of Science field station we spoke about this, even though I had arranged this meeting with you in August 1998 to specifically address the condition of the captured makhna at the Elephant Camp in Mudumalai. Please note that in your correspondence to Will Travers, whom we had contacted for expert opinion, you wrote that while you could not give a professional assessment of the veterinary needs of the makhna, you would be sending one of your local staff to evaluate the situation and collaborate with IPAN and the Forest Department. Surprisingly, during IPAN's 4-month approved care of the makhna, neither you nor any of your staff were there during treatment, feeding, and "mahout training". Yet despite this and your claim that you could not offer professional veterinary opinion, your subsequent communication expresses such opinion. You also opined on the care of the elephant without any first-hand knowledge of the beatings ("training") and lack of infrastructure to provide food and basic care, which IPAN was called in to provide for these several months.

With the above in mind, I will, where appropriate, address not only your April 22, 1999 letter but also your official report of March 12, 1999 to Congressman Sam Farr. Obviously we would both be incapable of addressing the myriad issues surrounding the situation of the makhna, which has clearly brought many other related issues to light. Therefore, I will concentrate on the positive initiatives I see developing from all concerned parties that address an otherwise self-limiting and ultimately futile agenda for the animals, the environment, and the humans who share this relatively small and precious part of the planet.

The only way I see progress being actualized is through all parties coming together "in-field" to finally decide what is rumor, what is hearsay, what is covered up through vested interests, and what is considered "fact", either through hard, scientific facts or time-tested indigenous knowledge.

We are dismayed to read in a recent Elephant Manager's Association journal, that your original letter to Sam Farr has been published along with an editorial note saying that IPAN's involvement with the Loki issue was nothing more than a fundraising ploy and that we have no professional standing. Your comments in the EMA journal, in addition to the editor's statement, are at variance with IPAN's video documentation as well as testimony and video from independent experts. We suggest that these supporting eyewitness statements from animal welfare organizations, veterinary experts, and other individuals from a broad spectrum of local society, are not dismissed. They should be used to facilitate all parties coming together for constructive and factual dialogue.

The knowledge and experience we (IPAN) have is empirical and its epistemology is based on our working in the field with local peoples, their domestic animals, and their own knowledge of the wildlife and habitat in which they live. I must say that we have been pleased to offer this knowledge to both your local IISc staff as well as college students from abroad who have sought our in-field expertise on many occasions. As an on-call veterinary mobile/ambulance clinic, we are called into many villages, including the most remote tribal villages, to deliver medical attention to domestic animals with every conceivable injury and sickness, including those attacked by panthers and tigers. This has helped reduce the decline of wildlife through retaliatory poisoning and electrocution, death by snares and snooses, and other methods of control of predation by locals, whose livelihood depends on their livestock. Research students from St. Olaf College in Minnesota, who pay to attend the local IISc field station, have availed themselves of our knowledge and came with us in-field on a number of occasions for study and research. We are glad we could be of assistance for the "larger issues of conservation of species and their habitat."

Regarding "habitat", we have, for the same reasons mentioned above, a wealth of knowledge not available to the average non-local person or researcher. Because our local tribal employees graze over 100 rescued animals every day in the Reserve Forests surrounding our Animal Refuge, they have a knowledge of habitat realities unsurpassed by none. They also know wildlife movement, poaching, predation, corridors or "paths", and the impact on wildlife by the various estates, lodges, privately-owned agricultural lands or "hobby farms", and "party/guest lodges" posing as private farmhouses. We are again glad that we have been called upon by your local IISc field station staff for location of wildlife dens known only by our staff, control of rabies in domestic animals in tribal communities situated in the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, where the Forest Department has no program to address this serious wildlife impact issue, and photographs and information to assist your team for proof of elephant electrocution and other wildlife issues.

I bring the above to your attention for the very reasons that I feel that the makhna has been lost in a singular, non-holistic approach to most problems and challenges we face in this bio-region where I live and you have project sites. IPAN, with the assistance of international experts, is attempting to bridge this gap by enjoining experts from many different arenas.

With regard to the makhna's well-being, wound management, and case-specific care, we are in total disagreement with your stated views of his condition of March/April. There is no doubt that "the injuries have healed substantially as compared to the situation in August 1998." Wounds heal according to proper treatment, nutrition, and stress-alleviating species-specific emotional needs enrichment. IPAN was instrumental in providing all of the above when we were called in to see the makhna in July 1998. The fact that the wounds were substantially healed during our care is testimony to our expertise. The fact that the injuries are now needing additional and reconstructive care is proof of our expert advice not being followed. We have heard this statement of "wounds healing" repeatedly since capture. If they had not substantially healed, he would be dead! Our focus now should be the continued management of his wounds and how we can all assist each other to improve his life in captivity.

We are curious as to how you base your opinion on the current condition and wound-healing of the makhna without either confirming or disputing our expert team's documentation (see video and web site reports). We have been refused permission to be present when the media and officials were viewing and filming the makhna, at which time it has been documented that the makhna's injuries were filled and smoothed over with mud and neem oil to look healed. As always, we would welcome the opportunity to support our assertions by being present with all concerned parties.

We note in the locally-produced SUNTV video segment your statement that Loki's situation is not an issue of veterinary concern, but rather one of improved capture techniques. We could not disagree more. On our video you will see wounds which were manageable when he was first put in the kraal, and which then deteriorated to such an extent by mid-August when we began our medical, nutritional, and emotional enrichment services, that we were nearly overwhelmed by the idea of taking the makhna on as another patient, considering our many other responsibilities. We have over 200 animals on our Refuge, we run a full-scale hospital, and we are the only constant veterinary and long-term care service, on call 24-hours a day, for the entire area. We feel your assessment, that the issue is one of capture rather than post-capture veterinary care, is inconsistent with our experts' opinions. And Mr. Udhayan claims in this same TV segment that we do not understand because we are outsiders? We are available to address both of your comments at any time.

We are, however, most appreciative that the Elephant Camp personnel agreed to work with our veterinarians and local IPAN staff. Even though you and others tried to assist in gaining permission for IPAN to aid in the treatment of the makhna, it was actually concerned Elephant Camp staff who came together on a local level to allow IPAN to initiate proper veterinary care for this elephant. We are all aware of certain bureaucratic labyrinths and delays and we are grateful that we were able to assist in an emergency situation which clearly jeopardized the elephant's life, before "official" permission was given by those whom you and others contacted.

We agree that an elephant is a social animal, but the presence of 25+ elephants at the Theppakadu Elephant Camp has not, in our experience and those of many on-site experts, facilitated in any way the social or medical or nutritional needs of this elephant or the other elephants who live within this camp. (Please see our web site at www.gcci.org and attached reports from those who assisted with the makhna.)

We kindly request you to not dismiss the fact that IPAN was called in when the top forest officials and elephant veterinary expert were out of station for weeks and the makhna had not had treatment for over 10 days by anyone because of departmental and infrastructural difficulties. We do not wish to belabor this point, however, as the videos stand on their own, from capture to the initial and subsequent 4-month treatment by IPAN staff, as do the official reports of several independent experts pre and post-release. (Documented by videos and expert reports.) I am sure you have viewed the capture video tape, which is clear evidence that if the Forest Department had time to arrange for a TV crew to come and had days or even weeks to prepare, then surely proper ropes or other humane means of capture and restraint would have been secured and injurious chains would not have been used. I am sure you are also aware that this elephant was raiding crops for years and had been reported to several State Forest Departments. Furthermore, the Forest Department staff who were assigned to handle this "potentially volatile situation with a very powerful animal capable of enormous destruction if it had escaped during capture" would also surely have secured staff who know the proper use of elephant guns. The video again is evidence that the staff were trained on-spot in how to use the guns. We would appreciate your views on this capture video. Most have found it shocking and clear evidence of terrible, avoidable cruelty. The makhna was repeatedly gored in the face and eyes while being simultaneously gored from behind. Where was the wisdom when kumkis and their mahouts were pushing a half-drugged, chained, and terrified creature from both front and back?

Many people had requested the release of the makhna to IPAN's Refuge, but since it was a novel idea, we understood the hesitation to do so. You feel the animal would live in isolation and that we do not have the proper expertise. But the sorry fact is that all elephants at the Theppakadu Elephant Camp live in relative social isolation. There is no social group behavior or anything resembling a semi-normal captive enriched life. The bull elephants stand chained for over 13 hours from dusk to dawn. The only time they meet is at the feeding station where tourists gather. It is a fact that the camp is seriously overgrazed and cannot support the elephant population. It is also a fact that fodder delivery from outside is neither consistent nor adequate.

When we offered a ˝ acre site with river access on IPAN's Refuge we felt it was the only available, immediate (if temporary) solution to an otherwise limited and wholly unacceptable choice. To keep the elephant incarcerated in a small kraal when he needed some physical therapy of movement and dry footing for wound management, as he had already lost 3 toenails and his foot pads were seriously compromised, or alternatively released and chained on his unhealed, crippled legs, were both determined to be unacceptable. (See Mahoney expert veterinary report.)

We do not expect you to understand as we do the emotional life and medical and therapeutic needs of this elephant because you were not there every day, nor could you or Dr. Krishnamurthy be expected to find the time with your other important, out of station work. Of course, not living in the area has its own limiting factors. IPAN staff did handle this "rogue" every day, generally with no "professional" forest staff, and on many days completely alone as all forest and camp personnel, except for support staff, were assigned to other duties. We brought the fodder, food, medicine, and delivered sand for flooring with our jeep/ambulances as the Forest Department did not allot sufficient diesel and often had no operating vehicles. We administered to the wounds of the makhna with proper medicine, sterile surgical instruments, proper needles, and also saw to the emotional well-being of this animal. (Audio, video, and eye-witness accounts of treatment available.) To say IPAN is not "equipped to carry out this task" is to deny these documented facts.

To state that you feel, after your 2 recent visits (March/April) to see the elephant, that "he has been treated well, fed adequately, and shows no signs of trauma" directly contradicts all the reports that I have received from locals, visitors, and forest personnel, not to mention elephant expert Mr. Ed Stewart's report of April 1999. I see no way to solve this issue except as I have suggested repeatedly both during and after IPAN's everyday personal involvement: let us all sit down together; let us speak to those who have informed IPAN (with the guarantee that they will not be dismissed, transferred, threatened, or reprimanded); let us all join together to witness first-hand with all concerned parties the physical and emotional life of this elephant, and agree to a roundtable discussion rather than the usual "two-sides approach". I will guarantee that you will see what I, as a layperson, witnessed, which is also the considered opinion of the experts we have consulted. This elephant has indeed been traumatized and still exhibits the same fear and learned helplessness responses; his nutritional needs are not being met, and his immune system is therefore seriously compromised; his wounds have not healed and are in fact becoming comparatively worse from chaining, shackling, and inadequate natural massage therapy by not being able to walk freely. Areas of his body, previously in the process of healing, were reopened and other healed areas were newly damaged by chains. He is not allowed to roam freely as some assert. He is only moved a short distance for "grazing", chained to a tree, and walked to the recently-fenced feeding/tourist viewing area, where we have received many complaints of his present condition by eye-witnesses.

But most significantly we should discuss and witness together the validity of the often neglected subject of applied animal ethology. This keystone discipline of animal welfare science and assessment comes only from careful observation, a "soft science" with no easily quantifiable statistics like the "hard scientific facts" to which you refer. (Please see books such as When Elephants Weep and Roaring Thunder, and many other books on dogs, horses, and other species documenting the benefits of reward training vs. traditional "breaking" methods, and the unique emotional lives of each species, and how to best facilitate a human/animal bond for training purposes without cruelty and suffering. Please also see the video Beyond Violence: The Human-Animal Connection by the Psychologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PSYETA). PAL copy being prepared for Indian viewing at this time.)

The training or cruel methods of "control" during treatment of this elephant changed as we worked closely with the Elephant Camp veterinarian, our veterinarians, the mahouts, and Forest Department support personnel, who came to realize the efficacy of reward-training (positive reinforcement) and humane consideration. (See Dr. Mahoney's report re: same.) The bond that developed between the makhna and Nigel Otter cannot be dismissed. Dr. Mahoney, Ian Redmond, one newspaper reporter in attendance, the mahouts, and I all witnessed this. I would suggest a film crew and all parties involved come together to see this. It costs nothing and there should be nothing to lose. The only loss would be to those who wish to garner funds to study and research what we have already successfully done and which we wish to share with all interested parties.

What happened at the Elephant Camp during our shared experience was nothing short of miraculous: the elephant, whom we nicknamed "Loki" (which means "messenger" in Norse mythology), taught us how to behave, as any good ethologist will attest is the only way to know another animal. (Please see books such as Gorillas in the Mist and The Soul of the Wolf, studies of gorillas by Dian Fossey and wolves by Dr. Michael Fox, and other books of the same genre.) Through gentle handling, trust facilitated by food reward, and absence of all cruel domination training methods, we were able to change the method of treatment and handling from a "dangerous task" as you refer, to one which reduced the stress and suffering of the animal and greatly reduced any danger to all of us who were inside the kraal for over 2 hours every day.

The most important thing the IPAN staff (all local people, except for occasional volunteer staff from abroad) has learned is that the way we treat animals is more significant than any expert medical treatment we provide for sick, injured, abandoned, and abused animals. It is a humbling and awe-inspiring communion of people and their animals, be it a goat, a cow, a dog, a rabbit, or an elephant. In this context, I agree with your statement regarding the tribal mahouts and their long history of "bonding" with their charges. What I witnessed, however, was the unconscionable and deliberate destruction of that bond by the officials who ordered the "training" of Loki on December 9, 1998. While "breaking" the elephant with prolonged beatings, even on his wounds, (his cries of pain and terror stand on their own), the ancient, yet fragile bond of mahout and elephant was broken. (Photographs available.)

Can all of these questions and concerns be addressed openly and honestly? I am encouraged that many organizations and individuals, who have had direct involvement with Loki, can all join together to offer their personal and professional opinions and solutions for this one individual animal, which could have far-reaching influence for all elephants, other wildlife, and resultant "need" for captivity. It is unfortunate, however, when a colleague of yours like Debbie Olsen of the Elephant Manager's Association, who has no direct involvement with the Loki issue, chooses to voice such an opinion in the May/June edition of Gray Matters: "The rush to judgement by IPAN and others has accomplished little but to foster mistrust and hurt relations between countries, NGO's, and individuals. Undoubtedly this issue will raise a lot of funds for IPAN, but it will take more than money to repair the unnecessary damage caused when baseless accusations are hurled across geographic and cultural chasms." Are we "rushing to judgement"? Have we used this as a fundraising ploy? Are our accusations "baseless"? Absolutely not. We have solid experiential knowledge we wish to share with you and your colleagues. We would assume that you and your colleagues would also wish to assess this knowledge on-site with us as well as review all documented evidence.

We are again dismayed to have learned that some of your associates have secured funds from abroad to offer mahout training, which requires the mahouts to be able to read and write and to leave home and family for an extended period of time with less pay. You do understand that this tightly-knit mahout tribal community, which you say "has more love for and bonding with elephants than any of us", cannot even sign their names. We note that mahout training programs have been in effect since November 1995, offered by Zoo Outreach Organization (ZOO), Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW), the International Academy of Animal Welfare Sciences (IAAWS), and the Elephant Welfare Association (EWA). (See http://ns.awebpresence.com/lasmith/ZooChat/elemt96.htm) Can you kindly let us know the results of this training project? Have any of the mahouts in Mudumalai or Bandipur ever participated in this program? Is the foreign funding for mahout training which Dr. Jacob Cheeran refers to in his letter (See Dr. Cheeran letter) the same program or are there several initiatives for mahout training with other organizations and institutes? Please also provide us with any other relevant information you may have on mahout training programs.

And what about the next generation of mahouts that you refer to? We worked with them and saw the most unfortunate need for them to break all bonds of compassion in order to participate in the brutal beating/"training". They all told us that they have never had to train a 40-year old elephant with wounds of such magnitude. They told us that they were forced by officials, researchers, and a top veterinarian to do this. As you probably know, the relationship between violence to animals and violence to others is well documented. With this in mind, I am saddened to have learned that one mahout trainee hung himself recently from the tree to which Loki is tied.

The individual, in my opinion, does matter. The world-wide recognition of the significance of individual animals like Diane Fossey's "Didgit" or "Willy" the captive whale, lend credence to this idea. In fact, I believe that the individual can in certain situations be the messenger or metaphor for all that is right or all that has gone wrong in our own evolution as caretakers of the earth and creation.

"Loki" or "Murthy" or "Makhna" can be the individual that brings us together, if we choose, or he can be the one who drives us back to our own "camps" of unenlightened self-interest. In this same context, the individual person, whether scientific researcher, animal welfarist, or government official has, I feel, a duty to respond with nothing short of total transparency and honesty without fear of personal loss, be it reputation, funding, or self-examination of motive, and the pragmatic implications of our actions as they inherently and unavoidably interact and overlap.

With the above in mind, there are some very important questions we feel must be addressed:

1. When does an elephant become a "rogue"?
2. Many people have been killed by elephants in the community of my Refuge area and yet there is no retaliation. Are some people more expendable than others or do some "rogue" elephants have more value for captivity i.e. tuskless males for research and breeding?
3. Where can all concerned parties see funded mahout training in practice?
4. Why did "Subramanian" (elephant at Camp) kill his mahout several years ago and why was Subramanian then chained to a tree for months on the main road for all to see while he lived a life of total restraint tied to one tree, punished, and half-starved? Why have so many people come to us and said that before the arrival of IPAN, they felt they had no place to go to express their horror over this one specific case of cruelty?
5. Why did the Mudumalai Elephant Camp have a circus with resident elephants standing on little tables and kicking balls to one another? I saw this on my first trip to India in 1995 and turned my photos and video over to various animal welfare organizations in India, with the hope that this would help put an end to such a disgrace. I'm glad my efforts accomplished this.
6. If there is no circus, then why was the crippled young elephant at the Camp being trained to perform circus acts while IPAN was involved in the care of Loki? (Video proof available.) He is now at the Mysore Zoo. Why did he need to undergo such beating to learn circus tricks if there is no circus?
7. Can you explain the cruel incarceration and beating of the baby elephant at Bandipur Elephant Camp after his mother died from deliberate electrocution for "raiding crops"? (Video by Ed Stewart) Where is the mahout training? What will be his fate and all the others who never reach the attention of the worldwide community? You saw this on video at Congressman Sam Farr's office immediately following assertions by you that you knew of no such orphaned baby elephant that was being held in the area. We note that you showed photos of Loki at this same meeting to convince everyone of Loki's well-being. We wonder if you have ever had the opportunity to view the videotapes of treatment, "training", as well as the audiotape of the beating? If you have not, that could account for your impressions which are at odds with the documented facts. Kindly let us know and we will supply these materials.
8. What about the recent death of the lactating female elephant in Gudalur Taluk who lay for 5 days in a ravine with maggots infesting her body, and was then essentially gored to death in a bungled "rescue attempt" by the same kumkis who captured Loki? This elephant needed veterinary treatment with peace, calm, and dignity in death. Instead she was dragged by ropes, gored repeatedly, and tossed from side to side until she gave one last cry and died. (Photos and local testimony available.) The villagers and Panchayet officials who witnessed this were horrified. They contacted IPAN to ask how to press charges against those involved. This is the voice of the Indian people and not that of IPAN as indicated on the SUNTV piece in which you are featured. Why did the people contact IPAN rather than the Forest Department or the Indian Institute of Science?
9. Do you know the fate of the elephants that do find their way into the U.S. with various organizations posing as "elephant sanctuaries" or sold to circuses where ill-treatment and cruelty is even worse than in India?
10. Have any elephant researchers or high government officials witnessed any of the "training sessions"? How about those who gave the orders for training/beating on Loki's unhealed and open wounds? Were they ever in attendance during these sessions? I have personally seen forest officials and others wince and call off mahouts when only minimal beating, called "tapping", was used. Those who did witness these beatings/training sessions were left shocked and terribly upset over what they saw.
11. Do you and your colleagues accept that all animals have an emotional life? Do you accept that the "psychology" of animals is of utmost importance for any research/captivity program? Please see the recent Associated Press article on the elephant in Lucknow that died of sadness. We would appreciate your thoughts on this, too.
12. Are you and your colleagues willing to witness the effectiveness of humane training methods over traditional dominance training methods? We and our colleagues are ready and willing to share this.

Our Animal Refuge, our 24-hour in-field rescue service, and our community outreach programs and hospital are available to anyone at anytime without an appointment, unlike the "staged" viewing of the makhna. Just walk through the gate of our 3-acre farm-turned-refuge, ride along in our ambulance/mobile clinic, and listen to the local peoples' concerns and heartfelt needs and at times despair and sense of hopelessness as their ancient lands and way of life have been changed with "foreign influence and influx of funds" as well as the nouveau riche descending like locusts on these lands. Then your question, "Is IPAN doing a lot of "investigative" work in India?" will be answered. We never sought this information and are not actively involved in investigative work. The information is simply shared with us by those concerned and we turn this information over to those in the international community who specialize in these different areas.

I am surprised that you think our 3-acre refuge in any way interferes with elephant (or any other wildlife) corridors. We are surrounded by a "patchwork quilt" of 10-acre, 17-acre, and 4-acre plots owned mostly by "outsiders" waiting for the forest road to open (to be improved) to build their farm houses (guest lodges) or cultivate their land for tax write-off purposes. Loss is shown as gain to hide that which threatens the habitat, the wildlife, and the indigenous people. The other large estates surrounding IPAN's Refuge (over 100 acres) are fully "wired" with electric fences and deafening generators which send wildlife running past my little cottage (a renovated sheep shed). Whether corridors are split in "two" or threes or fours doesn't ultimately matter. IPAN staff can show you what we know of the history and demise of the area as we have witnessed, shown by the local villagers and tribals. This should benefit all. Your knowledge, BNHS knowledge (which I do not dismiss), as well as IPAN's knowledge (which I hope you do not dismiss) could greatly enhance everyone's work, if we indeed have shared goals.

Another very serious issue of concern for us in the Nilgiris is the widespread use of DDT. We first learned of it when we were called in to treat maggot wounds in animals, yet found that instead we were treating "burn victims", as people use DDT directly on their animals' wounds to prevent or impede the development of maggots. One can buy this pesticide in almost every village shop in the area. We welcome you to come with us to see this first-hand.

We have been witnessing for years chemicals banned decades ago in the U.S. resurfacing in developing nations. DDT and other pesticides are also widely used on crops, and animals that graze along the edges of these fields die routinely from acute pesticide poisoning. (Video available.) The sholas and grasslands, formerly the lifeblood of the indigenous peoples in the area, are now leased out to others for raising "cash crops". The pesticides that are used on these fields enter streams and rivers and pour down the mountains, poisoning the watersheds of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve. We will continue to expose the use of these dangerous chemicals as well as other Western exploitation of developing nations by multi-national corporations.

As for Monsanto, even though its funding involvement with the IISc is perhaps in another department or division separate from yours, surely you have heard of them! And surely you see the wisdom of concerning yourself with all aspects of animal, human, and habitat conservation and protection in a holistic approach, acknowledging the impact of one against the other. We have much information on Monsanto, biotechnology, and genetic engineering.

IPAN has consistently not signed onto the petition to "open" the forest road leading to our Animal Refuge, even though we cannot drive our 4-wheel drive jeep/ambulances on this road during the rainy season. We are now having a bullock cart made for our humanely raised and trained bulls to bring in fodder and to carry the injured and sick community-owned animals for treatment and long-term care to alleviate their suffering and to reduce the spread of communicable diseases to wildlife. I know you are aware of these situations as I understand that the forest road leading to your property and the guest lodges at Bokkapuram has also been recently reviewed by the Forest Department and temporarily(?) blocked. I'm sure you share with us both the inconvenience as well as the necessity of such an action.

We fully embrace all expansion of forest habitat protection, while working closely with the needs and realities of an unsustainable human and domestic animal population within the forests and surrounding areas. (Preliminary project proposal available.) We would greatly appreciate your views on our proposal addressing this issue. We intend to begin this project component soon, time permitting, after this all-consuming makhna/Elephant Camp/ mahout training issue has been addressed. We have established a close working relationship with the Panchayet who are now willing to work with the Forest Department, with IPAN as a facilitator, to address the human/wildlife and forest expansion conflicts. As you know, the recent move by the Forest Department to close the Sigur and Singara ranges to grazing to expand wildlife habitat was blocked by the Panchayet through a High Court order since the local peoples' needs had not been addressed. As you also know, the local people feel the Forest Department has not been receptive over the years to working with them. We were glad, therefore, to have created the opportunity for the Forest Department of Mudumalai to participate in our recent collaborative post-World Wilderness Congress field trip. (See Vance Martin report)

Obviously you are well aware that the Loki issue has resulted in "immeasurable costs". I hope you appreciate the staggering number of our own man-hours and the diversion of efforts from our other projects. We spent a minimum of 5 hours every day arranging the cutting and collection of fodder at various village farms, delivering sand for dry floor requirements, and picking up additional nutritional foods in another village all with our own diesel and manpower. This took precious time away from our many project goals and has therefore had an equally if not more serious impact on the overall protection and conservation of the area. We also purchased expensive medicines, bandages, and other equipment for which we were never reimbursed, nor were we reimbursed for the diesel for our ambulance/jeep. The important point to note is that the work that we were doing for the makhna was the Forest Department's job, not ours!

I must say that I have been very impressed by the amount of research by the BNHS and the IISc. Even though my knowledge in these arenas is limited, I am nonetheless curious why I have seen so few actualized results in our area of Masinagudi, Mavanhalla, and the surrounding villages and forests. I have learned that the private land purchases and many guest lodges are all relatively new and that land was "going for a song" in Bokkapuram (which was once a bamboo forest frequented by elephants) and in Mavanhalla, where I live, only 5 to 7 years ago. If the IISc prepared the master plan for the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve and has, as you say, decades of knowledge of the area, could you please inform us to what extent, if at all, unbridled development and loss of wild lands was addressed by the IISc and the Forest Department.

I have been informed by locals that most of the loss of habitat and resultant wildlife "problems" could have been avoided if the land had been secured by the Forest Department and steps taken to stop both private ownership and the past legal encroachment into Reserve Forests by the economically disadvantaged villagers and tribals. I was also informed that money was available, which went to other projects too numerous to name. One, however, stands out in my mind each time I am called out to find and rescue a lost cow in the government-sanctioned grazing forests - namely the "tree-planting schemes". What I have experienced is twisted ankles and a landscape that resembles a war-torn minefield from holes dug for saplings that, from lack of infrastructure and oversight, never took root.

The best of intentions and funding cannot replace in-field, everyday oversight, which I find endemically lacking in the area. Again, I am fully available and willing to share our experiential and empirical knowledge on this. We welcome the opportunity to be proved incorrect. It would indeed be a gain rather than a loss, since we have no other motive but to work collaboratively to alleviate the suffering of animals in the larger arena of practical application. We share with you the desire to obtain concrete facts and not be swayed by disinformation and sensationalism, such as newspaper and TV coverage that you allude to. For example, your claim that we ignored the fact that the makhna was a "rogue", a human killer, has no merit, as we did not wish to rush to conclusions without facts or rely on various unsubstantiated statements claiming he had killed 3, 12, 24, or 33 people. Furthermore, on the information issue of funding and other allegations that you have contested, we admit that our knowledge base comes from unsolicited sources. Our involvement in healing the makhna has, because of worldwide concern for Asian elephants, connected us unexpectedly with a nexus of American and other Western interests. This is why we defer to other organizations and government officials working in this arena. We again suggest that issues of project funding and their viable applications be made available by all parties. We will continue to pass on funding and other information to you and others as it is revealed to us by those concerned.

This brings me to your most disturbing comment with far-reaching repercussions: "The Veterinary Council of India has advised me that only a veterinarian registered as a practitioner in the state of Tamilnadu (sic) can legally treat an animal." I'm certain this must also apply to all states within India, as well. Thank you for bringing this to my attention as I will now alert Animal Welfare Organizations throughout India which have been utilizing volunteers from abroad to assist in all aspects of veterinary care. These range from spay/neuter programs to the care of farm animals and religiously important ceremonial animals like the Toda Buffalo in our area, which have no viable veterinary services, except those of IPAN, for one of the largest domestic animal populations impacting on wildlife, wild lands, and the welfare of local peoples' survival. Please advise on how best to alert the scores of volunteers from across the globe who give of their time in unpaid services to assist both animals and people. I do have a list of many of the organizations involved in these types of altruistic activities, which I have personally visited throughout India, as well as dozens of others listed in handbooks and web sites. I will certainly advise our local Panchayet, who has welcomed such services, and will attempt to advise volunteers throughout India that they could be engaging in illegal activities. Perhaps we should supply them with your email and fax so that you can advise these volunteers of the illegality of their individual situations.

Along these same lines, is the compounder/livestock inspector of the Forest Department licensed/registered? I refer to the individual who calls himself "Dr. Mani". Please clarify as he was and still is treating Loki and other animals and we have been informed that he is not a veterinarian.

Also, and perhaps most importantly, we wish to share with you and all concerned parties our work to halt the spread of domestic animal diseases to wildlife, which has consumed much of our time and resources. Hopefully you are aware of the many epidemics in the area: foot and mouth, rindepest, black quarter, rabies, etc. My first year in-station was spent controlling the foot and mouth epidemic. I'm sure you will recall the terrible suffering and demise of the Guar many years ago as well as other wildlife afflicted with domestic animal diseases. You must understand that as the only consistent veterinary service for the area we are well aware of the lack of government-sanctioned vaccines arriving intact and on time. It is a cumbersome and ineffective system of delivery. Vaccines are often expired, there is virtually no cold chain, and "middlemen" only add to the problem. You most likely are aware of the recent deaths of a number of sambar. Perhaps you could inform us of the cause of these deaths, since we were unable to bring tissue samples to Bangalore as the Forest Department requested of us some time ago.

Part of our Program includes a proposed veterinary exchange program, especially to provide post-graduate spay/neuter training for Indian veterinarians, since they are not adequately trained in small animal surgery. We have been called upon to provide veterinary services and rehabilitation care to various injured and captive wildlife and see a great need for Indian veterinarians to be trained in wildlife medicine to help in the Nilgiris and alleviate IPAN's workload.

Do your veterinarians need to carry, as they do here in the U.S., huge liability insurance in the event that their training and expertise are not adequate for the animals they are assigned to treat, which may result in poor veterinary treatment or death? Kindly let us know the training and expertise required at this time. Are there standardized tests? Is in-field expertise monitored? I have hired many Indian veterinarians and was appalled at their lack of training and expertise. I am pleased, however, that we were able to give them invaluable training while working at IPAN, which will help all animals in India as these veterinarians move on to other locations.

I take any legal situation very seriously having been the recipient of the legal system as it stands. I have also witnessed a similar legal matter involving a German tourist who is charged on several counts by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department while she was photographing the makhna at the Elephant Camp. We are pleased to have learned that a fence has recently been erected to alert and educate the many visitors of the possibility of arrest, physical beating, and incarceration if a boundary is crossed. This German tourist, Ms. Iris Begun, is available at any time to speak with you. She is staying at our Refuge, as she was fearful to be alone while she continues to press her case against her assailants. You may also speak with her advocate if you so wish. (Documents, legal papers, and local, eye-witness accounts.) This will take some of your time because you know as well as I that you would need to spend time in-field, speaking with locals and experiencing for yourself what is truth and what is thinly-disguised disinformation. You can witness and judge for yourself.

The land dispute issue to which you refer is well documented and we await the outcome of violations by vested interests: violations of the Society Registration Act of 1860, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, and the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act. This 52-acre site is a registered charity of the Nilgiris Animal Welfare Society (NAWS), founded in 1954 by Englishwoman Mrs. Dorothy Dean. IPAN initially lived and worked on this property and found it to be illegally run and criminally inhumane to its resident animals. We kindly request your professional opinion of this 52-acre site and its impact on wildlife and habitat protection. We are addressing this issue with the local Panchayet and the local constituency. The Panchayet has recently filed a petition against NAWS for not serving the community, animals or people, as was the original intent of this Registered Charity.

I will not indulge in what I consider unproductive and personal "fencing matches", as evidenced by your response to what you must have considered judgemental, personally confrontational, and factually incorrect letters to you. Otherwise I have no explanation or understanding of much of the tone and content of your letter of April 22, 1999. Not to dismiss but to hopefully redirect some of your comments for a more productive outcome:

1. We are not New Yorkers.
2. Our charity designation sponsor for 501( c ) 3 is Global Communications for Conservation, Inc. (GCC) located in New York.
3. Every donation is tax deductible and goes through this office.
4. GCC does have projects around the world and we welcome you to visit their web site at http://www.gcci.org/.
5. We live in Washington, D.C. and operate India Project for Animals and Nature (IPAN) out of our home/office. You are welcome to visit us at any time.
6. We have not visited the 25th Floor of the new GCC office in New York. In fact, we have only been there on 3 occasions in the last 10 years.
7. IPAN is a grassroots, community-centered project and we live within that community in India the same way we attempt to live in an ethically consistent way here. We have never owned nor driven a Mercedes. We drive a 1986 Ford Econoline van to assist animals in distress here and a 1993 Mazda of no resale value since our 2 rescued and precious translocated Indian dogs from Masinagudi have seen fit to eviscerate the interior.
8. We live a life of "voluntary simplicity", which Mahatma Gandhi stated more eloquently: "To live simply, so that others may simply live." We also embrace his time-defying dictum: "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
9. If any statement by IPAN or its representatives is seen as "distortions" or a "master stroke" or "carelessness" or if we have been a vehicle to "discredit people" without proof, we do indeed offer our humble apologies. We do, however, stand by all statements borne from in-field empirical knowledge, as well as unsolicited information from other concerned individuals and organizations in India and around the world who seem to be genuinely concerned about the fate of the Nilgiris as well as this one elephant, who does seem to have become the "messenger" for all of us. We should, I feel, embrace this incredible occurrence, rather than resisting the inevitable.
10. With regard to "commercial breeding" and "circus exploitation" of elephants and funding of same, I can only say that Asian elephants do find their way to American, European, and other "markets" around the world. Again, IPAN is not an expert or reservoir of knowledge in this area and we defer to other organizations pursuing these concerns. We direct you to those individuals and organizations who became involved with Loki and captive breeding and debate over same. With reference to your assertion of the breeding success and longevity of elephants at the Mudumalai Camp, we also question and join the worldwide debate on how measures in these areas of captive elephant management bear on and have any relation to conservation and the well-being of captive populations. Before priding ourselves on high birth-rates and longevity, one might do well to pause, as we have done, and simply assess the quality of a life in chains, and requisite beating/training techniques that can never be humane. We are pleased that you had an opportunity to meet with many people during your U.S. visit and debate over same. Our call to treat and help alleviate the suffering of Loki stems from our singular mission: we help life where we find it. We sincerely hope that researchers and conservationists consider the quality of life of these animals to be of utmost importance.
11. We have been called upon to assist with baby panthers given over to a guest lodge (wildlife orphanage?) in Bandipur and rabid dogs in the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary. With permission from the Tamil Nadu Forest Department we cared for 2 orphaned wild boar piglets, who lived with us for 6 months, only to die of rabies in the very same forests where everyone claims to be making progress in conservation. Note: Your local field staff called upon us to purchase and administer post-rabies vaccinations for 5 dogs for 7 days. During this same time, the released wild boars, who had unknowingly contracted the disease, played with the children of the tribal community. Forest officials made no effort to protect the community or to alert us of the suffering of the boars. Again, without our very expensive and effective capture equipment and field personnel expertise, this could have proven disastrous to the people and their domestic animals, not to mention the wildlife. Other wild boars in the vicinity were videotaped exhibiting the same signs of active rabies. Kindly check with the Forest Department and your local field staff for verification. IPAN has also assisted the Forest Department in the post-mortem of elephants, of a privately owned (legal?) spotted deer who had been tied and kept in captivity for years at a tribal school, and the capture and care of several injured monkeys lying on the side of the road because no Forest Department vehicles or capture equipment were available. We know much about the electrocution of elephants, poisoning, snares/snooses for all manner of wildlife, and homemade guns injuring elephants who die slow, unimaginably torturous deaths. We are always called upon to assist: from supplying torches to sophisticated medical/surgical equipment and our willingness to call in experts when needed. We have considerable knowledge of the "who-what-where" of the demise of wildlife. Our jeep/ambulance is fully stocked for all emergencies and is available to you and the Forest Department at any time.
12. The fact that no proper length needles for elephants were available to the veterinary service of the Elephant Camp to administer life-saving antibiotics is testimony enough. There were still no proper needles while you and Dr. Krishnamurthy were here, and Loki was again given injections with needles that were too short, causing abscesses. We sincerely hope you and Dr. Krishnamurthy have secured these during this trip to the U.S. Decades of travel to Europe and the U.S. for elephant conservation and not securing proper equipment or veterinary knowledge for same is indeed disturbing. Not withstanding, we have witnessed Dr. Krishnamurthy giving some good advice on the care of the makhna, yet unfortunately, during his absences, there was no infrastructure to carry it out.
13. We are speechless before those who find themselves "quite amused" by "colorful descriptions". At the risk of repetition we can only show you what we know. We are not armchair animal/environmental enthusiasts. We live where we work. We do not spend one rupee without knowing its power to corrupt and deceive and to foment disinformation. It is not colorful, it is not amusing, it is a tragedy.
14. We do continue, as we have for decades, to debate the wisdom of captive breeding. We do continue to debate for the need for radio-telemetry. We were informed of the mother elephant who died in Kerala during tranquilization. If you recall, I met with you the night before at this Forest field station. The report you received and the report I received are clearly at odds. My source had nothing to gain, so I question the validity of any report to the contrary.
15. "What has IPAN been doing for the betterment of local tribals?" (Please see Vance Martin/Wild Foundation report re: people, animals, and nature, and their inseparable and often unaddressed interaction.) Again, we extend an open invitation for you to participate in our veterinary and animal husbandry programs for tribals and local villagers and see for yourself.

On a more personal and, hopefully, more inspiring note, I can offer this:

• People in a tribal village are throwing stones at a dog with severe mange (transmissible to humans and other animals; called "scabies" in humans). IPAN is there to give the yearly rabies vaccination to their dogs. We therefore protect the community from this fatal disease. We give the injection for mange treatment to this starved, hairless dog, who is being understandably shunned by the people to protect their own health. A month later in follow-up treatments for their livestock, I am being tugged at the sleeve by the children who keep shouting, "June, June, June…." They have brought me to the dog that one month before they had been starving and stoning. "June" is a healthy, fluffy creature loved by the community. (Documented on video and photos.) My joy, awe, and belief in the possibility of human compassion is renewed.
• A cow is running through the streets of Masinagudi. Where there once was an eye is now a huge, bleeding, grotesque growth of impossible proportion. We bring the cow to our Refuge. We cannot heal her after several weeks of intense and loving care. The owners of the cow can receive Rs. 2,000 by selling her to our local butcher shop. (About $2,000 by our standards considering their extreme poverty.) Instead they ask us to humanely euthanize their cow because they have witnessed the caring and compassion we extended. The IPAN staff digs another grave on our 3 acres and the children bring bundles of flowers to honor her. This is not a Western influence. This is what the Indian people do when given an opportunity to express compassion.
• A man brings a dog to our Refuge. The dog has been hit by a vehicle and is beyond repair. As the dog dies in our arms, the man sobs for this unremarkable little dog. She is also given a proper burial. My local staff tell me they have never witnessed a grown man cry over the loss of such a disposable commodity: a dog. I wish to think that this is a service we offer - a place to reawaken all that represents the best of us - a place where the individual matters, whether human or non-human.
• It is indeed true that this is a place that has hungry people and, as you state, "hungry elephants". We offer you in-field proof that economic poverty does not translate into poverty of the spirit. We offer our Refuge and our services as proof of the remarkable, perhaps only renewable resource available - the human spirit.

You suggested that I will be "in for surprises" regarding the myriad accusations against me or IPAN in general by certain locals who have spoken to you. There does exist a nexus of individuals with vested interests who wish for IPAN's demise, some buoyed by foreign funding, who are indeed directly involved in the exploitation of animals, habitat, and indigenous (and village) peoples. Every movement to help the oppressed, to take away the power from the oppressor, has been met with great opposition throughout history. The "whistle blower" should not expect garlands. I accept and surrender to this truth. We will, however, continue our work for the larger community in spite of this.

I am grateful to those who carry on in spite of great personal sacrifice, most especially local IPAN staff. I do not respond to those who choose to harm from afar rather than heal directly. Hence any statement made by anyone, even "a champion of the welfare of animals" we question. We do require a personal visit to the makhna or to IPAN before we accept their opinion. We prefer to let others speak, both non-human (Loki) and human (Dr. Jacob Cheeran) in response to such accusations. (Please see attached letter from Dr. Cheeran re: same.) We also request that you speak with Dr. Krishnamurthy regarding his opinions of a "champion", which he shared with me at great length.

We would be hard pressed to ever recoup the money we have spent for the sake of Loki. (Breakdown of expenses available.) We will, however, continue to appeal for funds for this and all other IPAN issues and projects. We will also continue our appeal for Loki's well-being and sincerely hope you will join with all of us to openly and personally enjoin with others who are coming together from different professional, personal, cultural, historical, and religious backgrounds to enrich dialogue, elicit creative change where deemed necessary, and be part of the evolution of our species so that we can view other species and their habitat with a hopefully more sensitive and all-encompassing approach.

We can offer a team that has worked with the makhna to give their expertise and compassion and demonstrate first-hand the gentle training methods that we learned along with the mahouts. Most especially, we wish to share with you the Indian peoples' concern about many cases of elephant suffering and abuse that have been brought to our attention. We should not forget "Subramanian", nor the "Baby of Bandipur", nor the "downed" lactating mother who died in Gudalur Taluk while being mishandled during a rescue attempt by the same kumkis used in Loki's capture! We should speak with the over 100 villagers who went to the local Panchayet to press cruelty charges and to call IPAN for help. This is the voice of the Indian people and you discount them by implying that IPAN is the only voice.

Your Western professional and other connections not withstanding, we are disturbed by some of your colleagues and others in the Indian press dismissing IPAN's concerns because it is a Western organization that does not understand "traditional ways of elephant treatment and training". In fact, our concerns are shared by many Indians, including those in our community, whose voice and concern should not be dismissed or demeaned. Do note that IPAN is fully staffed by 15 local villagers and tribals. In fact I consider IPAN as being directed by locals as we defer to them in all matters.

I hope I have answered your questions and comments to your satisfaction. Those which you feel have not been fully answered can be answered, both through documentation or in-field experience by you and your colleagues, which is always available at our Refuge-site.

In conclusion, I feel very touched by your last statement about pantheism which you thought we misspelled as panentheism. That misunderstanding, more than anything, makes me realize that there are many hurdles to overcome which will require nothing short of "opening" to understanding differences. Pantheism means that "god" can be a tree, an elephant, a rat, a monkey, etc.. Panentheism, however, was a term learned from a Dominican priest Matthew Fox (no relation) for a creation-based living theology. The inclusion of the "en" in panentheism means god is in everything. It is a very simple and all-inclusive life view that we practice. If God is in everything, then everything deserves the same reverential respect. I therefore do not bow before an idol of Ganesh nor have a room devoted to this practice. I cannot justify walking away from the God living within the living Loki. This is why we at IPAN feel that when we administer to the wounds of Loki or any other animal, whether physical or emotional, we are addressing the god within as well as alleviating suffering on a very practical level. We consider our work a very humble and reasonable approach to compassion: putting the philosophy of Ahimsa into action.

Sincerely,

Deanna L. Krantz
IPAN Director

Attachment to IPAN's response to Prof. Raman Sukumar