A talk on ecology, management, conservation and welfare of the Asian Elephant was organized by the Nilgiri Natural History Society (NNHS) at the Bee Museum on the 19th of December. The speaker Mr Surendra Varma an expert on welfare of the Asian elephant used a slide show to illustrate the issues faced by these magnificent mammals both in captivity as well as in the wild. While most studies on elephant conservation use a more quantitative approach, Mr Varmas takes on a more qualitative MO. He states that just numbers cannot be an indicator of how the species is doing in the wild and a more thorough research has to be done on physiological and psychological health of the elephants if we are to assess how future generations will fare. Mr Varma held the attention of his audience with his easygoing manner and passion in creating awareness about the plight of these animals. The talk was followed by questions from the audience, which was a good mix of college students and interested individuals.
