by Raman Sukumar (Author)
The Asian elephant has had a unique cultural association with people. Unfortunately, elephants and people have also been in conflict, resulting in the decline in 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. The foraging habits of elephants and their impact on vegetation are considered, along with the interactions that occur between elephants and humans. The ecological data provide the basis for recommendations on elephant conservation and management, keeping in view the socio-economic imperatives of the Asian region.This first comprehensive account of Asian elephant ecology will be of particular interest to conservation biologists and mammalogists.
Back Jacket
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 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.