Saturday, November 9, 2013

Elephant Myths-01-The Elephant Corridor

Elephant Myths-01
The Elephant Corridor in Sri-Lanka

It is a myth.
Yala, Wagamuwa, Wilpattu and Uda Walawe are not connected by a corridor for the elephants to move freely, since the rest of the land is densely populated and there is not even a hypothetical corridor.


My calculation is that not even one percent of the land is reserved for the elephants.


If I assume 10% (ten) of the land is allocated in a hypothetical space on this island  as a zoological garden and all the elephants are relocated inside it for the people to see them as exhibits, and only 0.1% of the total population come to the zoo, to see them on one go (again hypothetical) ,there will be one man or woman standing every 10 feet (3.3 meters) of the perimeter and no elephant can move out without touching a human being.


If we get 1% to visit the zoo, one can stand and won’t be able to stretch the hands without pushing and shoving.
 

Elephant will have to trample 10 of them to get out of the perimeter and see the man’s world, which is fully developed.
 

One may wonder, why I used 10% which is high land mass in commercial concepts.
It is very simple.
My estimate is that there should be 35% (it is less than 25% and we will be like Dubai in about 50 years of development from now-we might even have to import water then) of total land to be reserved for rain forest, if we are to maintain at least 10% of the perennial rivers.
So if we roughly have 30% for the rain forest, elephants should take the major share of at least one third of it which will be 10%.

That is why I state that there is not even 1% of land left for our elephants.
So the natural selection will let 500 elephants to survive in the this land and in that estimate it is really endangered species.

Stating that we have 5000 elephants in the forest is a mythical figure concocted by our Mega Media Men (M.M.M) to satisfy the politicians.

I think each elephant is counted ten (10) times in making that mythical figure, sometimes by reputed NGO's.

Development of the man’s world is also a big myth in the same stretch of imagination, since only a very few with patronage will be able to enjoy it.

I have made the calculation confusing and difficult so that politicians won’t be able to understand my logic of it but the figures are below for one to work out.


Human Population density in Sril-Lanka averaged out but in reality it is much more than that because people congregate on socio-economic reasons.


The population density in Gamphaha is more than Decca and Calcatta.
Kandy has 10 times the population density of Gaza Strip.


Beauty is nobody talks about population control.


I have used the total population projected in another 10 to 50 years for my calculation since total square miles is roughly 25,000.


1000 in a square mile
400 in a Square Kilometer
400 x 2.4=1000

Reserve only 10% 2500 Sq Miles(6500 Sq. Meters)
0.1 of population 250,000
 

Every 10 feet or 3.3 meters there is a man/woman standing.

Location   Indian Ocean     Coordinates   7°N 81°E
 

Area       65,610 km2 (25,332 sq miles)
 

Area rank     25th
 

Coastline   1,340 km (833 miles)
 

Highest elevation   2,524.13 m (8,281.27 ft)
 

Highest point    Pidurutalagala
 

Water bodies     870 km² of water =400 square miles (only about 1%)

( If Water body  is 1.5 % it equals to 1000 Km)


Population density   1000 sq miles
Population density  400 km
 

Hypothetical Elephants   population is 1000 and it is exaggerated to 5000 by local media giants (Biggest lie in this country).

Reserve   2500 Sq miles 50x50=2500;10feet
Reserve   6500 Km 80x80 6400:  3.3 meters