Loki Update -- June 2000

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

IPAN wishes to thank all the people who supported our efforts to help Loki and all of his kind in the Nilgiris, home to the largest remaining wild Asian elephant population in India.

Sadly, we do not have any good news to report. We can only report that Loki remains at the Theppakadu Elephant Camp in the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary under the control of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. After careful deliberation by the IPAN staff, it is our combined opinion that we will not serve the goals of IPAN to alleviate the suffering of the animals and help to preserve the last of the wild by publicizing the demise of same. The various officials, Government bodies, animal welfare organizations, institutions, et al know of the horrific suffering and numerous deaths of the elephants and other wild animals in our region. All of our efforts to internationalize this fact, have only created a situation where we and others of like intention have, unfortunately, found ourselves in a position of having no place to go with the facts. It must be clearly understood that IPAN staff is comprised of all local villagers and tribal peoples and they have nothing to gain by telling the truth as they have watched the last of their lands, their culture, the animals, both wild and domestic, suffer at the hands of various well-intentioned international and Indian Government schemes.

There is only one last hope -- find a way to let the people who have been marginalized by poverty and corruption,to be heard. This requires nothing short of social justice and empowerment to let those who are not compromised by vested interest, have a voice to speak for those who cannot. We of IPAN strongly feel that until the status-quo changes,and there is transparency and collaboration, we will simply continue with our other IPAN programs and services,and witness and record the tragic suffering and the end of the wild.

IPAN continues to offer it's services to all. The gate to our Animal Refuge is always open and we welcome anyone who wishes to assist in finding a place to take the knowledge we have and hopefully not cause,even with good intentions, more harm to the people or the animals whom IPAN is serving.

With our in-field knowledge, we of IPAN wish to state for the record that anyone who is concerned about Loki or the others, or their habitat, should make sure that anything that is written,or viewed in a prearranged setting, should be considered suspect. This is why we can only work with those individuals and organizations who will spend the necessary time in and around our project-site in order to to gain first hand knowledge of the truth. Unfortunately we do not have the time, staff or financial resources to keep all concerned informed of new developments. But we offer our Animal Refuge as a starting point with our dedicated and informed local staff,-- then the people,the animals and the forest will reveal the full picture that is never seen by the casual tourist or deadline-driven journalist or investigator.

We of IPAN wish to thank many individuals of the Forest Dept. and other officials and local citizens for their help with Loki and other wildlife and habitat issues. We look forward to future collaboration for the sake of the animals.

Since we are unable to answer individual correspondence or questions, for the reasons noted above, kindly address your concerns to the appropriate persons noted previously on our Web-site.

We stand by our last update report regarding Loki's treatment and condition as well as the need to engage concerned individuals and wildlife experts from around the world in improving the conditions of all elephants in captivity and more effective protection of the last of the wild.

IPAN has definitive proof of many deaths of a wide variety of wildlife and the destruction of their habitat and we continue to appeal to the Indian authorities and the international community to view our documented evidence and use it to immediately implement effective conservation strategies and proper care of injured and captive wildlife.

For the Planet and all who dwell therein,

Deanna L. Krantz
IPAN/Founder,Director