Elephant Census

WILD elephants, according to a news reports have caused considerable damage to the crops and properties of farmers of Ward No. 2 of Hasnpora VDC and Ward No. 2 of Itahari Municipality of Sunsari district. News of wild elephants going on a rampage is not new to Nepalese. More particularly to those living in the Tarai region of the country as these pachyderms tend to forage in the lush forests located in the flat alluvial plains. Since these animals are very much used to roaming at will in their natural habitats, sooner or later, these behemoths have to face barriers like fences and walls erected by farmers living around the vicinity of their habitats. As and when such an encounter takes place, these pachyderms, due to their sheer size and weight, usually have the upper hand. They would not only bulldoze such barriers from their paths but go on to feast on the farmers’ standing crops. And whenever the farmers try to chase them away—there is a total ban on killing elephants in Nepal—some rogues among the elephant herds would not even hesitate to run amok through these villages, thereby leaving the villagers more poorer in terms of precious lives and properties.

Elephants, like all wild animals, instinctively shun humans and give their settlements a wide berth. But on the other hand, humans, in their quest for more arable lands, are not known to be that shy in encroaching on these pachyderms’ natural habitats, the forests. As such, whenever an elephant herd comes out from its habitat and creates a havoc, what can be deduced is that either the elephants’ population is increasing or that their natural habitat—the forest—is shrinking. Or, even both. Since arable lands are definitely a premium in an agrarian country like Nepal, converting them into forests to sustain the elephants is a difficult proposition. So too is starving these innocent pachyderms to death by clearing their habitats, the forests. Hence, if both the farmers and the elephants are to co-exist peacefully in their respective territories, the concerned authorities must preserve the last remaining forests. Similarly, a nation-wide elephant census is in order so that those in excess of these forests’ elephant sustaining capacities could be culled. At the same time, it would, through culling, ensure further preservation of the remaining pachyderms in the forests for posterity.

Unwavering Support

EVEN as the United States is preparing for a war on terrorism following the deadly attacks on New York and Washington DC eight days ago, virtually all countries around the world except a few exceptions have committed their support to the American mission. Though the details are yet to emerge as to how the US-led undertaking will go about the task of giving a blow to international terrorism, it is looking more than likely that the first of the battlegrounds could be Afghanistan, where the Taliban government has given a safe haven to terrorist suspect Osama bin Laden since 1996. In a favourable development in this regard, Afghanistan’s neighbour and friend, Pakistan, has already promised "full cooperation" to the United States in the event of a US assault on Afghanistan. Pakistan’s willingness to aid the US mission is also reflected in its straightforward message to Taliban rulers, delivered Monday, that they would have to either hand over bin Laden or face a harsh retaliatory strike from a US-led international coalition.

While such support from countries likely to be direct participants in one way or another in the strikes against terrorist hideouts mirror the growing international concurrence on the need to effectively combat international terrorism, support from countries like Nepal, which have always been on the side of international peace, also gives a boost to the coming international struggle against senseless violence. It is in this context that His Majesty’s Government’s expression of full support and commitment to extending necessary cooperation to the government and the people of the United States in their initiative against terrorism holds significance. A cabinet meeting Monday gave its unqualified backing to the US goal of uprooting terrorism. The government rightly described the terrorist attacks in the US as a crime against humanity and said that the US terrorist incidents had also created an opportunity for larger unity, understanding and cooperation among civilised societies and governments, which believe in peace, freedom, human rights and democracy. Indeed, at no time in history, such an international consensus against terrorism had been seen. Even those who were not on best terms with the United States have pledged support in its fight against terrorism. The world opinion is indeed in favour of eradicating for all times all forms of terrorism. Though this war is not going to be an easy one given the tentacles international terrorism has spread over the decades, its success will be contingent on how firmly the international alliance holds in the weeks and months ahead. Nepal’s unwavering support, to the best of its capacity, to such a "world war" is only natural.