I think we should let elephants loose in Australia

[scooterman]

Elias wrote:

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Simple...just paint lines for an Elephant crossing.

Compacting the base of one of those and maintaining it would nearly be a full-time job.

I could imagine the havoc they would create with farm fencing.

[The ADELAIDEAN]

If we import Elephants then we would have to import a new species of dung beetle ... the size of cats.

[King Pooeybum]

scooterman wrote:

Hitting one driving a car would do a bit of damage, I don't think trucks with bullbars would be immune. On the plus side a small bike or scooter might pass underneath its belly safely.....

If your not carefull you'd drive a scooter right up its saggy arse and suffocate in elephant shit . I wouldn't like one to fart in my general direction.

[nek minnit]

scooterman wrote:

Hitting one driving a car would do a bit of damage, I don't think trucks with bullbars would be immune. On the plus side a small bike or scooter might pass underneath its belly safely.....

Your right! BUT just imagine the elephant steaks we could hAVE ON THE BBQ?

[scooterman]

nek minnit wrote:

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Your right! BUT just imagine the elephant steaks we could hAVE ON THE BBQ?

Imagine trying to put one on a spit!

Side note: An elephant needs an average of 140 kg (300 lb) of vegetation a day to survive.

[Elias]

The ADELAIDEAN wrote:

If we import Elephants then we would have to import a new species of dung beetle ... the size of cats.

Ele poo does wonders for the garden Ade.

[Elias]

scooterman wrote:

<quoted text>I could imagine the havoc they would create with farm fencing.

Now there's a thought...Elephant farming...the corrals would have to mighty big.

[scooterman]

Elias wrote:

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Now there's a thought...Elephant farming...the corrals would have to mighty big.

And corralling them would be an art in itself.

[Elias]

scooterman wrote:

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And corralling them would be an art in itself.

The Indians have been corralling wild elephant herds into pens since 400BC. The elephants are then trained individually by mahouts.

[Neville Thompson]

Seeing there is an abundance of grass in the Top End I can't understand why it can't be cut and baled for stock feed just after the wet season.
The problems occur when mustering cattle that they have been burning off large tracts of land so they can find and extract them .
The grasses uo there can grow to about 15 ft high and it is termed elephant grass.

[Neville Thompson]

Elias wrote:

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The Indians have been corralling wild elephant herds into pens since 400BC. The elephants are then trained individually by mahouts.

Have you ever read of the training methods especially in Thailand ?
Very cruel indeed.

[Elias]

Neville Thompson wrote:

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Have you ever read of the training methods especially in Thailand ?
Very cruel indeed.

Yes the mahouts traditionally use hooks which look cruel. I've actually seen zoo keepers use them in Melbourne and Sydney Zoo's as well to prod the elephants to move. The principle here is the elephant has thick skin so the hooking doesn't draw blood. Looks bad though.

[Neville Thompson]

Elias wrote:

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Yes the mahouts traditionally use hooks which look cruel. I've actually seen zoo keepers use them in Melbourne and Sydney Zoo's as well to prod the elephants to move. The principle here is the elephant has thick skin so the hooking doesn't draw blood. Looks bad though.

In Thailand and thereabouts the infant elephant is removed from it's mother after weaning and caged so tight that it cannot move and then prodded and abused violently until it's mind is not it's own anymore and becomes easier to train.

[Elias]

Neville Thompson wrote:

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In Thailand and thereabouts the infant elephant is removed from it's mother after weaning and caged so tight that it cannot move and then prodded and abused violently until it's mind is not it's own anymore and becomes easier to train.

Yes it's sounds quite unpleasant.

[Neville Thompson]

Elias wrote:

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Yes it's sounds quite unpleasant.

Much the same as how our government bureaucracy treats us from birth.

[Neville Thompson]

Elias wrote:

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Yes the mahouts traditionally use hooks which look cruel. I've actually seen zoo keepers use them in Melbourne and Sydney Zoo's as well to prod the elephants to move. The principle here is the elephant has thick skin so the hooking doesn't draw blood. Looks bad though.

Instead of prodding the poor confused animal into submission with hooks I would suggest to them they stand in front of their charge and instruct them in what is needed of them in a forceful verbal manner accompanied with kindness.
My family have been training animals like this for years and it works.

[Elias]

Neville Thompson wrote:

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Instead of prodding the poor confused animal into submission with hooks I would suggest to them they stand in front of their charge and instruct them in what is needed of them in a forceful verbal manner accompanied with kindness.
My family have been training animals like this for years and it works.

Elephants are are considered very intelligent and stubborn animals. I imagine verbal instructions alone would be met with bemused incredulity.

The elephant's fear of the hook is what gives the mahouts the ability to control.

[The Fixer]

Surely this thread, its contents and subject matter is a 'white elephant'.

[Neville Thompson]

The Fixer wrote:

Surely this thread, its contents and subject matter is a 'white elephant'.

Much like you we think

[Neville Thompson]

Elias wrote:

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Elephants are are considered very intelligent and stubborn animals. I imagine verbal instructions alone would be met with bemused incredulity.
The elephant's fear of the hook is what gives the mahouts the ability to control.

When an animal is very young it can be groomed to accept instruction much like a child .
Kindness beats all hostility.