The Linesman

Elephants used to roam Myanmar’s natural forests with impunity. But as their habitats have been encroached upon, wild elephant numbers have fallen from 10,000 to 2,000 over the past 70 years – according to the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

So too, many villagers across the country are forced to compete with the country’s giant pachyderms. Sometimes the elephants trample on farmland and houses in search of food.

The Elephant Project, an international organisation devoted to the protection of elephants around the world, has produced a 30-minute documentary about the ongoing human-elephant conflict in Myanmar. Titled The Linesman, the story focuses on a man called U Khin Maung Gyi who seeks to explore the elephant-human dynamic in southern Myanmar – from illegal poaching in the mountain areas, to the destruction they wreak in the low-lying villages and farms.

When The Elephant Project was founded in 2016, one of its goals was to develop new ideas and solutions to protect elephants around the world.

"But to solve a problem you must first understand it from all sides, which is why we decided to make this film – to help people understand the root causes behind the conflict," Dane Waters, founder and president of The Elephant Project explained to The Myanmar Times.

When they first started working in Myanmar over three years ago, their initial focus was to help elephants transition out of the country’s timber industry to live in more sustainable sanctuaries."But early in our efforts we discovered the magnitude of the human-elephant conflict, and felt that it needed to be addressed," he said.

The organisation’s first response was to invest in electric fences, which were intended to restrict the elephants to particular areas whilst their natural habitats were being restored."They [elephants] primarily come because they need food. They come because their natural habitat has been destroyed due to excessive logging. They come out of necessity," he said.The film crew traveled around the country, with footage being taking from Bago’s Winga Baw Elephant Sanctuary, Kayin State’s teak and rubber plantations, as well as Kalaw Village in the Bago Region.

It took over two years to make the film, as heavy rains restricted access to the elephants during the rainy season. The film crew visited Myanmar on three separate occasions to make sure they had the best footage.

"The villagers try lots of different ways to scare away the elephants, including tractors and other heavy equipment to make loud noises," Dane Waters said. "These are massive animals, and so humans protect themselves by trying to scare them away, by getting as far away as possible from them, or by building fences to help keep them out. But in some cases, out of desperation, they even call in poachers to kill the elephants," he added.

The biggest challenge was trying to get footage of elephants in the wild, especially when they approach the villages. It’s difficult to predict when an elephant will approach your house, so the crew had to wait-out for opportunities to follow or sneak up to the herd. "Elephants are typically only dangerous when they feel threatened. They are not predators and aren’t really that interested in harming humans. They are usually just looking for food. But they are obviously large, so if a person gets too close or gets in the path of a scared or angry elephant, they can kill or hurt someone," he said

."Villagers do fear elephants. This is one of the struggles they face. They don’t want to fear or hate the elephants but when their families and crops are in danger, they naturally begin to feel frightened," he added.

Despite the recent COVID-19 restrictions around the world, The Elephant Project hopes to screen The Linesman in London, Berlin, Tokyo, Taipei, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, DC in the coming months. Yangon will also host a special screening event.

"We believe that The Linesman presents an amazing opportunity to raise awareness about the human-elephant conflict, and the ways that people have tried to resolve that conflict – greater education, building fences, habitat restoration, and elephant relocation," he said.

Anyone interested can find out more by visiting https://www.theelephantproject.net/the-linesman-film

THE ELEPHANT PROJECT CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF DOCUMENTS AS ETHICAL QUESTIONS MOUNT AGAINST INTERIOR SECRETARY RYAN ZINKE

FERNANDINA BEACH, FL (November 1, 2018) – In the wake of an ethics charge against US Department of the Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke now referred to the Justice Department for possible criminal charges, The Elephant Project is calling for the immediate release of critical documents it requested 6 months ago but the Interior Department has yet to produce.

“With the recent escalation of at least one ethics charge against Secretary Zinke, as reported widely by the news media, we are concerned that he and his staff may be intentionally pushing the limits of the law in complying with our Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request,” The Elephant Project Founder and President Dane Waters said. “This new development reinforces my concern that Secretary Zinke has a clear pattern of covering up personal conflicts of interest between his big-game hunting friends and his job in the Trump Administration.

“Interior Secretary Zinke has a long history of hunting big game with his high net worth buddies, including President Trump’s sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump,” Waters said. “We are deeply concerned he could be using the Department and its International Wildlife Conservation Council (IWCC) to support his own well-known interest in killing wildlife for sport with his friends.”

William Kristol, board member of The Elephant Project and Editor of The Weekly Standard  said, “Transparency is a cornerstone of democracy. Every minute that Secretary Zinke goes unchecked and unquestioned in his systematic deconstruction of the Interior Department is another minute the Trump Administration chips away at that cornerstone. The Administration is clearly more interested in kowtowing to the big game trophy-hunting lobby than it is in addressing threatened wildlife species and US national interests.”

Joe Trippi, board member of The Elephant Project and a top Democratic strategist, said, “The Interior Department is dragging its feet in producing the documents that we have a legal right to review, because they continue to act with impunity. This most recent escalation of an ethics charge against Secretary Zinke to the Justice Department shows that someone is finally taking these charges seriously. We are confident that the documents we have requested will show the involvement by President Trump and members of his family, including his sons Donald Jr. and Eric, in the selection of members of the IWCC and the reversal of the Fish and Wildlife Service policy on the importation of elephant trophies.”

The Elephant Project filed a FOIA request in March for all documents relating to the establishment of the IWCC, an official advisory group announced almost a year ago on November 8, 2017. The Council was created in conjunction with the reversal of the importation of elephant trophies policy outlined in a March 1, 2018 memorandum from the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

The duty of this newly created board is to develop “a plan for public engagement and education on the benefits of international hunting.” In other words, despite its name, the IWCC is designed to promote the killing of elephants under the guise of conservation.

The group’s formation documents require the board to include hunters with international hunting experience, and senior-level representatives from companies in international hunting tourism and the firearms trade. Yet no such requirement exists for members to have wildlife conservation backgrounds. In addition, the IWCC counts among its members a co-owner of a hunting preserve with Donald Trump Jr.

Dane Waters interview with UK's Paul Ross on Talk Radio

An interview with The Elephant Project’s Founder and President Dane Waters on the UK Parliament’s consideration of a new law banning ivory and the plight facing elephants around the world. Listen to the full interview.

Ivory BAN will not be enough to STOP elephant extinction in our lifetime

Sunday Express - AN IVORY ban being pushed through Parliament this week by the Government will not be enough to stop elephants becoming extinct in our lifetime, the founder of a wildlife charity has warned. Dane Waters, who has worked for five Presidential campaigns including for the late Senator John McCain, has founded the Elephant Project which creates sanctuaries across the world for endangered animals.

By DAVID MADDOX, POLITICAL EDITOR

PUBLISHED: Sun, Oct 21, 2018

He claims that 100 elephants are being killed every day for their ivory and the number of deaths has for the first time outpaced the number of baby elephants being born.

While there were 5 million African elephants at the turn of the 20th century and 100,000 Asian elephants, their numbers are now believed to be just 450,000 African elephants and 30,000 Asian elephants.

Speaking to the Sunday Express, Mr Waters praised the UK Ivory Trade Bill, which comes to its report stage in the Lords this week, but he warned that the British ministers need to persuade the Trump administration in the US and the Chinese to change their policies.

Mr Waters, who as a close friend of the late Senator McCain’s has already had rows with President Trump, hit out at the administration’s decision to allow the import of ivory and other elephant trophies and encourage US citizens to go big game hunting in Africa.

He said: “The decision by President Trump to allow for the import of elephant trophies into the United States will increase the senseless killing by big game hunters of this threatened and vulnerable keystone species.

“It also signals to China that the US is abdicating its long-standing commitment to lead the world in elephant protection and conservation.

“This sends a message to China that they are free to not enforce their ban as well as takes pressure off the European Union to act to enact laws to end domestic ivory markets.”

He went on: “Additionally, the Department of Interior under President Trump established the International Wildlife Conservation Council (IWCC).

“The mandate of this Council, whose majority is comprised of trophy hunters or groups that advocate for the hunting of elephants, is to increase awareness of the ‘economic benefits that result from US citizens travelling abroad to hunt.’

“One of the members co-owns a hunting preserve with Trump’s son Don Jr – who is an avid big game hunter and killer of elephants.”

He said that the ivory ban is a “good thing” but “only if it is enforced”.

And he noted that while there is a ban in China it is still the leading black market for ivory goods in the world.

He said: “Enforcement is critical and countries like the US and UK must lead.

“The US has abdicated that role and leadership and so now the UK has the chance to be the world's leader both from a moral and practical standpoint.

“It is also a good way for the UK to thumb their nose to the EU since they are behind in tackling this issue.”

The ivory ban in Britain is meant to be the toughest in the world.

A limited number of items are due to be given exemptions from the ban.

These include items comprised less than 10 per cent ivory by volume and made before 1947, musical instruments made before 1975 and comprised of less than 20 per cent ivory, rare or important items, at least 100 years old, and portrait miniatures painted on thin ivory bases and for commercial activity between accredited museums.

When he launched the bill, environment secretary Michael Gove used it as an example of how Britain would lead the way with tougher animal welfare regulations and laws after Brexit.

He added that the new law would "reaffirm the UK's global leadership on this critical issue, demonstrating our belief that the abhorrent ivory trade should become a thing of the past".

He said: "Ivory should never be seen as a commodity for financial gain or a status symbol."