3/1/2006: Poisoned elephants die

Undertoad · 03-01-2006, 10:37 AM

Terrible one today. Six rare wild elephants were found dead in a remote Sumatran jungle. It was determined that they were intentionally poisoned with potassium cyanide.

the only full story I could find on it says that the one male had its tusks removed, but didn't say whether that was the motive or what the motive would be. It does say that killing the elephants was a crime. And that the bodies above are a week old.

Emrikol · 03-01-2006, 11:07 AM

That's just horrible.

I don't think there's much more available to describe it...just horrible.

glatt · 03-01-2006, 11:43 AM

I look at this, and just don't get it. Somebody thought this would be a good idea. Somebody, somewhere was given a certain set of facts, and using those facts, came to the conclusion that the best course of action would be to kill these creatures. I don't get it. Most human behavior is understandable on some level, but I don't really understand this one.

Well, I guess after thinking about it, I do know what this is about. The person(s) who did this want money. The elephant tusks are worth money. Poison is cheap. They may or may not care that they killed 6 elephants and only one of them had tusks to steal. It's a lot easier to poison all the elephants than to try to take down just one and deal with the other living ones as you try to cut the tusks off the body of the dead one.

This is about money and laziness. It makes perfect sense.

I think of the people who did this as horrible monsters, but I wonder if I'm capable of doing it? If I was a desperate villager with a dying child who needed food or expensive medicine, I'd kill 6 elephants without hesitation if it would get me what I needed. Especially if I was fairly sure I wouldn't get caught.

But sitting here safely behind my clean desk, I think the people who did this are monsters.

Kitsune · 03-01-2006, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glatt

I look at this, and just don't get it. Somebody thought this would be a good idea. Somebody, somewhere was given a certain set of facts, and using those facts, came to the conclusion that the best course of action would be to kill these creatures. I don't get it. Most human behavior is understandable on some level, but I don't really understand this one.

My question: If the elephants had been shot instead of poisoned, would it have made a difference in your opinion of the hunter(s)? Would it have even made IotD?

glatt · 03-01-2006, 01:02 PM

You know what I just realized this picture is? It's a very vivid and graphic portrayal of Tragedy of the Commons in its extreme.

barefoot serpent · 03-01-2006, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glatt

You know what I just realized this picture is? It's a very vivid and graphic portrayal of Tragedy of the Commons in its extreme.

Yes, I was just going to say that elephants are often considered a nuisance in Asia and Africa for trampling on or eating farmers crops. The local solution is often as depicted above.

lumberjim · 03-02-2006, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glatt

I think of the people who did this as horrible monsters, but I wonder if I'm capable of doing it? If I was a desperate villager with a dying child who needed food or expensive medicine, I'd kill 6 elephants without hesitation if it would get me what I needed. Especially if I was fairly sure I wouldn't get caught.

But sitting here safely behind my clean desk, I think the people who did this are monsters.

I started to go with you there glatt, and imagine myself in that place, but then it started to seem like i was imagining what shit might taste like. there are other ways.

chrisinhouston · 03-02-2006, 07:44 AM

Interesting that they used potassium cyanide, this is what is typically used to kill off coyotes. The farmer or rancher places a type of gun in the ground and loads it with a dose of potassium cyanide and attaches a form of bait. The unsuspecting coyote comes along, starts sniffing the bait and the gun is triped and fires the dose of poison into the nostrils of the animal, killing them within a few minutes in a painful way. I used to goose hunt in rice fields west of Houston and it was a common practice in some areas so we had to be real careful if using retrievers to get downed birds. Farmers were required to post lots of warning signs.

I would wonder if they did something like this for the elephants as I don't think potassium cyanide has a particulary good taste so it needs to be administired in a way like this. I wonder how much you need to kill an elephant?

Griff · 03-02-2006, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisinhouston

The farmer or rancher places a type of gun in the ground and loads it with a dose of potassium cyanide and attaches a form of bait. The unsuspecting coyote comes along, starts sniffing the bait and the gun is triped and fires the dose of poison into the nostrils of the animal, killing them within a few minutes in a painful way.

Wow, that is so stupid in so many ways.

tw · 03-02-2006, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glatt

I look at this, and just don't get it. ...

Well, I guess after thinking about it, I do know what this is about. The person(s) who did this want money. ...

This is about money and laziness. It makes perfect sense. ...

But sitting here safely behind my clean desk, I think the people who did this are monsters.

One need only go back to the mid 1800s and what the white man did to buffalo. One scene in 'Dances with Wolves' demonstrates the inhumanity.

Elephants are rather intelligent creatures. Park Rangers has determined that elephants somehow knew where park boundaries were. The elephants would sneak off the park at night to go on feeding raids. And then get back inside the park before sun up.

Unfortunately, in some locations, the elephant population has become too large. Too many in the wrong place - too few elsewhere.

Trilby · 03-01-2006, 11:40 AM

what do you expect of people who CANE women?

Pretty bloody typical.

Trilby · 03-01-2006, 12:03 PM

I do not have to go thru all the machinations that glatt does. A people who would cane a woman for loving (or, boinking) a man would do this to it's own animals. Once again, Gandhi serves as an example.

Elspode · 03-01-2006, 12:18 PM

People suck. Sure glad I'm not a person.

Happy Monkey · 03-01-2006, 12:41 PM

Elephants, plural? If the poacher had used a gun, the elephant with tusks would probably have been the only one killed, since they obviously didn't want anything else from the bodies. Five fewer dead would have been a bit better. And one dead elephant might not have made IOTD.

Pancake Man · 03-01-2006, 06:03 PM

They can't get their country sorted out, but they can buy and effectively use cyanide? Sounds to me that their priorities are not in order.

03-01-2006, 10:37 AM	#1
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	3/1/2006: Poisoned elephants die Terrible one today. Six rare wild elephants were found dead in a remote Sumatran jungle. It was determined that they were intentionally poisoned with potassium cyanide. the only full story I could find on it says that the one male had its tusks removed, but didn't say whether that was the motive or what the motive would be. It does say that killing the elephants was a crime. And that the bodies above are a week old.

03-01-2006, 11:40 AM	#11
Trilby Slattern of the Swail Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 15,654	what do you expect of people who CANE women? Pretty bloody typical. __________________ In Barrie's play and novel, the roles of fairies are brief: they are allies to the Lost Boys, the source of fairy dust and ...They are portrayed as dangerous, whimsical and extremely clever but quite hedonistic. "Shall I give you a kiss?" Peter asked and, jerking an acorn button off his coat, solemnly presented it to her. —James Barrie Wimminfolk they be tricksy. - ZenGum

03-01-2006, 12:03 PM	#12
Trilby Slattern of the Swail Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 15,654	I do not have to go thru all the machinations that glatt does. A people who would cane a woman for loving (or, boinking) a man would do this to it's own animals. Once again, Gandhi serves as an example. __________________ In Barrie's play and novel, the roles of fairies are brief: they are allies to the Lost Boys, the source of fairy dust and ...They are portrayed as dangerous, whimsical and extremely clever but quite hedonistic. "Shall I give you a kiss?" Peter asked and, jerking an acorn button off his coat, solemnly presented it to her. —James Barrie Wimminfolk they be tricksy. - ZenGum

03-01-2006, 12:18 PM	#13
Elspode When Do I Get Virtual Unreality? Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Raytown, Missouri Posts: 12,719	People suck. Sure glad I'm not a person. __________________ "To those of you who are wearing ties, I think my dad would appreciate it if you took them off." - Robert Moog

03-01-2006, 12:41 PM	#14
Happy Monkey I think this line's mostly filler. Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: DC Posts: 13,575	Elephants, plural? If the poacher had used a gun, the elephant with tusks would probably have been the only one killed, since they obviously didn't want anything else from the bodies. Five fewer dead would have been a bit better. And one dead elephant might not have made IOTD. __________________ _________________ \|...............\| We live in the nick of times. \| Len 17, Wid 3 \| \|_______________\| [pics]

03-01-2006, 11:07 AM	#2
Emrikol Compatriot-at-Arms Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 107	That's just horrible. I don't think there's much more available to describe it...just horrible.

03-01-2006, 11:43 AM	#3
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	I look at this, and just don't get it. Somebody thought this would be a good idea. Somebody, somewhere was given a certain set of facts, and using those facts, came to the conclusion that the best course of action would be to kill these creatures. I don't get it. Most human behavior is understandable on some level, but I don't really understand this one. Well, I guess after thinking about it, I do know what this is about. The person(s) who did this want money. The elephant tusks are worth money. Poison is cheap. They may or may not care that they killed 6 elephants and only one of them had tusks to steal. It's a lot easier to poison all the elephants than to try to take down just one and deal with the other living ones as you try to cut the tusks off the body of the dead one. This is about money and laziness. It makes perfect sense. I think of the people who did this as horrible monsters, but I wonder if I'm capable of doing it? If I was a desperate villager with a dying child who needed food or expensive medicine, I'd kill 6 elephants without hesitation if it would get me what I needed. Especially if I was fairly sure I wouldn't get caught. But sitting here safely behind my clean desk, I think the people who did this are monsters.

03-01-2006, 01:02 PM	#5
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	You know what I just realized this picture is? It's a very vivid and graphic portrayal of Tragedy of the Commons in its extreme.

03-02-2006, 07:44 AM	#8
chrisinhouston Professor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Houston TX Posts: 1,857	Interesting that they used potassium cyanide, this is what is typically used to kill off coyotes. The farmer or rancher places a type of gun in the ground and loads it with a dose of potassium cyanide and attaches a form of bait. The unsuspecting coyote comes along, starts sniffing the bait and the gun is triped and fires the dose of poison into the nostrils of the animal, killing them within a few minutes in a painful way. I used to goose hunt in rice fields west of Houston and it was a common practice in some areas so we had to be real careful if using retrievers to get downed birds. Farmers were required to post lots of warning signs. I would wonder if they did something like this for the elephants as I don't think potassium cyanide has a particulary good taste so it needs to be administired in a way like this. I wonder how much you need to kill an elephant?

03-01-2006, 06:03 PM	#15
Pancake Man Hand-of-Kindness Extender Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 131	They can't get their country sorted out, but they can buy and effectively use cyanide? Sounds to me that their priorities are not in order.

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