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Critical Position Paper

Rahim Mazhar

Athabasca University

The paper is relevant to the issue of animal rights, which are equal for all livings in the world without any discrimination. Accordingly, the elephant is also an environment-friendly animal, and it should be made secure from disliked ways of killing for personal benefits. In the essay, “People or Penguins” by William F. Baxter held the perspective that environmental problems should be cost beneficial and human-centered (Baxter, 1974). Two very worrying issues affect the conservation of the species, the purpose of which is to prevent its extinction and the protection of the individuals that make up the species, whose objective is to prevent its suffering. Regarding the last question, the elephant belongs to a species whose individuals suffer implications in their well-being to a high degree, since it is commercialized for its ivory, skin, hunting trophies, and wild meat and is captured for zoos and circuses and used in the tourism industry. Although for CITES, the proposed measures to combat illegal trade are focused on avoiding the threat that such trade poses to the survival of the species, it is difficult to conceive that elephant poaching does not generate terrible suffering for each individual that composes it.

According to Botzler & Armstrong (1993), Kant does not think we have any direct duties to elephants, so he would not expect us to treat animals as ends (Botzler & Armstrong, 1993). Elephants are flexible in their behavior, capable of learning, and not committed to precisely one way of life (Taylor, 1981). Therefore, one can imagine animal-friendly forms of use that enable animals to realize a form of well-being. Since we are currently far from such animal husbandry, the growing attractiveness of the vegan lifestyle is understandable. It does not eat meat and fish like vegetarianism, but also the use of any animal products.

Peter Singer has had an enormous impact on how many people see the ethical status of animals (Singer, 1998). One must ask why animals should count less than humans in this regard if there are moral norms that are directly applicable to animals. If the prohibition of inflicting suffering also applies to animals, one should think that the pain of an animal has the same moral relevance as roughly a person. So, where there is no conflict between the moral right of a person and that of an animal should be taken into account. Why is it then weighted weaker in many cases? The argument is based on the reference to differences, some of which relate to skills and relationships.

The first view of nature has started to move away from a customarily Western humans-apart-from-nature approach toward one that perceives individuals as a part of nature. Marietta (1988) defines these changes as an ethical shift towards new all-inclusive models of environmental ethics; he explains the apparent conflict among environmental holism and the wellbeing of individuals, including the viewpoints of anthropocentrism, eco-feminism, and pluralism (Marietta, 1988). This statement is relevant in the case of elephants, as it is morally legal that elephants were brutally killed. In the long term, the development and implementation of appropriate land use plans have sought that guarantee the necessary space for elephants for their seasonal migrations and that contemplate the installation of measures to protect human infrastructures.

Despite such intrinsic value, a significant decline in their population is seen even across Africa. Central Africa and Tanzania have drastically lost more than half of its elephant population. Causes behind such a massive loss are deforestation and climate change as for any extinction, but here the addition of behavioral abuse by humans has also observed (Kopnina, 2016). These include the improper care and treatment of Zoo elephants just because it becomes expensive to care for them keenly. Circus elephants are also the victims of this social abuse; their owners treat them harshly and strictly to make them dutiful. The most astonishing fact seen for such brutal treatment was the domestication of wild elephants by an ancient tradition “Phajaan” in Karen, Thailand. Another such cause is the killing of elephants as a punishment to destroy their crops and sometimes just in fear of any damage of property (Kopnina, 2016).

There are several measurements to protect the elephants from harm. The conflict between elephants and humans needs to be reduced. For this, there are immediate measures to raise public awareness of this problem to increase their support for elephant conservation. This measure relies on teaching new methods and tools to mitigate this conflictive situation both to local communities and to wildlife agents in the affected areas. These tools include techniques to safely chase away elephants from human-populated areas and return to forests, as well as the normalization of coexistence between humans and elephants and the potential benefits derived from this, such as those entailed sustainable and responsible tourism.

Another measure is the installation of warning systems that protect the cultivation fields by monitoring the elephants or the construction of defensive fences. In the long term, the development and implementation of appropriate land use plans are sought that guarantee the necessary space for elephants for their seasonal migrations and that contemplate the installation of measures to protect human infrastructures. An increased effort against poaching or illegal hunting by training professionals is dedicated to monitoring and preventing it, increasing patrols in protected areas, and conducting periodic evaluations of the distribution and number of elephants. Most of the elephants were brutally killed by poachers looking for ivory. The greed for ivory in China continues. The raw material and the carved are very much in demand among the wealthier Chinese. Demand is also high in Thailand, Japan, and Vietnam. A kilogram of raw ivory is worth up to $1,500. In the form of objects, decorations, or status symbols, the Chinese buy what we are now loathing in this country. International trade in ivory has been forbidden since 1989, but black trading is flourishing. Scientists at Columbia University in New York recently found that the majority of the ivory on international black markets comes from freshly killed animals. They had examined around 230 elephant tusks that had been confiscated between 2002 and 2014. More than 90 percent of these came from elephants that had been killed in the three years (Botzler & Armstrong, 1993).

There is an elephant trafficking information system (ETIS) that identifies routes and countries of particular importance in illegal ivory trafficking. The protection of elephant habitats through the collaboration of governments, the population, and non-governmental organizations, to ensure the future of elephants; this includes, for example, the establishment of trans-boundary conservation areas, such as that of Kavango-Zambezi, which provides shelter to nearly 250,000 elephants. The research is needed to find new secure areas and improve the management of elephants. The effectiveness of conservation projects lies in the evaluation of the conservation status of the different existing populations in different parts of Africa and Asia to better direct conservation efforts to the areas that require it most.

In turn, it is necessary to develop national action plans for the conservation and protection of elephants that can be used by governments in taking conservation measures, as well as for the establishment of national parks that protect specific habitats and its fauna. Wild animals are the ones that suffer the most from human irresponsibility. Due to the loss of their habitats, hunting, or capture, they are subjected to changes in the climate. In a few years, there will be no free specimens of a good handful of species. Wildlife is something as any specie of an organism, either plants, animals, or from any other kingdom that lives in its natural environment without interruption by human activities. There is a threat to wildlife elephants all over the world due to illegal hunting, poaching, and ivory trade.

The illegal killing of elephants to trade ivory for their tusks continues to be a significant threat to their populations. At the same time, the elephant population is decreasing; the human species on the continent has multiplied by ten, from 125 million to 1225 million, creating rivalry for land with these animals (Stiles, 2004). The greatest threat to the elephant population is the international and national ivory trade (legal and illegal). In this regard, there is a direct link between the sale of ivory stocks and poaching rates and illegal ivory trade, which increased after CITES allowed the ivory trade in 2008. Another critical factor for the threat of elephants is the destruction of their habitat due to the expansion of the human population.

Territorial loss and fragmentation is a crucial factor in provoking conflicts between elephants and humans, as elephants try to enter the territory where humans live, and deaths occur both for one and the other. In “The Radical Egalitarian Case for Animal Rights” by Tom Regan believes hunting is wrong in animals. He argues that treating animals differently is not merely a problem of sentimental interest or kindness; however, of justice” (Regan, 2011). This statement is applicable in the case of Elephants. The threat of elephants is the destruction of their habitat due to the expansion of the human population. Territorial loss and fragmentation is a crucial factor in provoking conflicts between elephants and humans, as elephants try to enter the territory where humans live, and deaths occur both for one and the other. Species discrimination is an infringement of the interests or rights of one biological species by another based on the belief in its superiority. By this concept, modern human society discriminates against animals and plants.

Another way is to eliminate illegal ivory trafficking by monitoring international wildlife trafficking that reduces threats to elephants (Burton, 1999). There is an elephant trafficking information system (ETIS) that identifies routes and countries of particular importance in illegal ivory trafficking. The protection of elephant habitats through the collaboration of governments, the population, and non-governmental organizations, to ensure the future of elephants; this includes, for example, the establishment of trans-boundary conservation areas, such as that of Kavango-Zambezi, which provides shelter to nearly 250,000 elephants. The research is needed to find new secure areas and improve the management of elephants. The effectiveness of conservation projects lies in the evaluation of the conservation status of the different existing populations in different parts of Africa and Asia to better direct conservation efforts to the areas that require it most. This argument comes under several considerations for the animals, such as animal testing and factory family. Animal testing would then most likely be justified because it is intended to remedy or prevent human suffering. However, there is no direct conflict here because it is not the inevitable suffering of an animal that helps a specific person. Animal testing is part of a long-term strategy that will only provide a more or less rational way to fight diseases. If we do not start from utilitarianism but individual rights, there is no conflict. The obligation to help others is indefinite and limited by the rights of other beings, not to be sacrificed to benefit strategies.

Consequently, animals are innocent creatures in this world. In a few years, there will be no free specimens of a good handful of species. Wildlife is something as any specie of an organism, either plants, animals, or from any other kingdom that lives in its natural environment without interruption by human activities. There is a threat to wildlife elephants all over the world due to illegal hunting, poaching, and ivory trade. Many African elephant populations are small, fragmented, and poorly endangered, making them even more at risk of poaching. We are currently far from such animal husbandry; the growing attractiveness of the vegan lifestyle is understandable. It does not eat meat and fish like vegetarianism, but also the use of any animal products. Peter Singer's utilitarian position gave the impetus to today's animal ethics debate. Due to poaching for the Asian ivory market, ivory trade in the EU, the elephants' natural habitat is diminishing, Human-animal conflicts and an increasing number of elephants are being killed during armed conflict the reasons of decline the population of elephants. However, there is still hope because many global organizations are committed to protecting the elephants. Many measures, projects, and actions take place worldwide, and protection centers have been created.). There is an elephant trafficking information system (ETIS) that identifies routes and countries of particular importance in illegal ivory trafficking.

References

Baxter, W. F. (1974). People or penguins: The case for optimal pollution. New York.

Botzler, R. G., & Armstrong, S. J. (1993). Environmental ethics: Divergence and convergence.

Burton, M. (1999). An assessment of alternative methods of estimating the effect of the ivory trade ban on poaching effort. Ecological Economics, 30(1), 93-106.

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Marietta, D. E. (1988). Ethical holism and individuals. Environmental Ethics, 10(3), 251-258.

Regan, T. (2011). The radical egalitarian case for animal rights. Food Ethics, 31.

Regan, T. (2004). The case for animal rights. Univ of California Press.

Singer, P. (1998). A utilitarian defense of animal liberation. Environmental ethics: Readings in theory and application, 96, 105.

Stiles, D. (2004). The ivory trade and elephant conservation. Environmental Conservation, 31(4), 309-321.

Kopnina, H. (2016). Wild Animals and Justice: The Case of the Dead Elephant in the Room. Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy, 19(3), 219–235. doi: 10.1080/13880292.2016.1204882

Sylvan, R. (1973). Is there a need for a new, an environmental, ethic? In Proceedings of the XV World congress of philosophy (Vol. 1, pp. 205-210). Sophia, Bulgaria: Sophia Press.

Taylor, P. W. (1981). The ethics of respect for nature. Environmental ethics, 3(3), 197-218.