INDIA SONEPUR ANNUAL ELEPHANT MARKET OPENS

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(16 Nov 1997) Hindi/Nat • • If you've ever wondered where to buy an elephant, Sonepur in eastern India is the place to go. • • That's the venue for Asia's oldest and largest elephant market, which opened over the weekend. • • APTV was in Sonepur for the start of this colourful elephantine jamboree. • • Held annually, Sonepur's market attracts elephant buyers, sellers and enthusiasts alike. • • Located on the banks of the river Ganges in eastern India, some people ride elephants hundreds of miles to reach the village event. • • Elephants have been bought and sold here for as long as anyone can remember. • • In ancient times, the beasts were used in battles, and maharajas, or kings, came here in search of bold tuskers (elephants with tusks) to swell the ranks of their armies. • • Nowadays elephants don't go to war, but are still kept for religious ceremonies and by feudal landlords. • • And for wealthy Indians, even a B-M-W still doesn't match up to a pachyderm, seen as the ultimate status symbol. • • But acquiring an elephant presents as many pitfalls as buying a used car. • • The animals can be trained, but temperament is all important - a rogue beast is a dangerous proposition. • • SOUNDBITE: (Hindi) • It is not only the elephant's age that is important. There are many other things as well - subtle things that are only evident to a trained eye. And the animals must be checked for disease and ailments as well. You have to know what you're doing. • SUPER CAPTION: Guddu Singh, elephant owner • • Certainly elephants don't come cheap. • • A healthy baby sells for 10-thousand plus U-S dollars, while a full-grown animal can fetch as much as 30-thousand U-S dollars. • • And they make costly pets to keep. • • They have a voracious appetite, eating one-fifth of their total body weight every day, mostly in sugar cane, rice paddy and grass. • • The price of the animals has risen dramatically since 1981 when the government imposed a ban on capturing and training wild elephants. • • It's just one conservation measure India hopes will protect its 27-thousand-strong elephant population from poachers. • • But dealers say that in some areas the herds have become too large, and they want permission to capture a certain quota each year. • • SOUNDBITE: (Hindi) • The government should lift the ban on catching elephants. Nowadays the elephants move across land where people have settled and they have to be controlled. When the herds are too big they destroy the fields and kill people and cause a lot of harm to human beings. • SUPER CAPTION: Ram Verma, elephant dealer • • The attitude of the elephant dealers highlights a potential threat to the animals. • • Behind the colour and excitement of the annual market, there is a growing fear that unless more is done to protect India's dwindling elephant population from poachers, there will soon be none left to sell. • • Whereas in the past Sonepur would attract thousands of animals, now there are less than a hundred. • • SOUNDBITE: (Hindi) • Each year there are less and less elephants here. It is a sad thing that while the animals are so loved and appreciated, people still kill them for their tusks. We must make sure they are protected. This market is good because people come to appreciate them even more. • SUPER CAPTION: Hari Prasad, elephant handler • • That's not to say however, that the annual month-long meet has lost its popularity amongst the locals. • • Indeed, hundreds of thousands come to see the elephants. • • For many, the animal is a divine being - they worship an elephant- headed god, Ganesh. • • And there seems to be no shortage of buyers. • • • • Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork • Twitter: / ap_archive • Facebook: / aparchives • Instagram: / apnews • • • You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...

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