Future of Thailand’s captive elephants. Animal Sentience 28(18)
Commentary on Baker & Winkler on Elephant Rewilding
Abstract: Removal from natural habitat and commodification as private property compromise elephants’ broader societal value. Although we support Baker & Winkler’s (2020) plea for a new community-based rewilding conservation model focused on mahout culture, we recommend an expanded co-management approach to complement and enhance the regional elephant conservation strategy with additional local community stakeholders and the potential to extend across international borders into suitable elephant habitat. Holistic co-management approaches improve human wellbeing and social cohesion, as well as elephant wellbeing, thereby better securing long-term survival of Asian elephants, environmental justice, and overall sustainability.
Authors
Antoinette van de Water
School of Life Sciences, University of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
Michelle Henley
Applied Behavioural Ecology and Ecosystem Research Unit, University of South Africa
Lucy Bates
School of Psychology, University of Sussex
Rob Slotow
School of Life Sciences, University of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa