*Dear Recipients: Please find resources for December 2023 below* GENERAL *Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary: So dark the greed of men* Sifayet Ullah, The Daily Star (Bangladesh) December 30, 2023 https://www.thedailystar.net/weekend-read/news/chunati-wildlife-sanctuary-so-dark-the-greed-men-3506226 *2023 Report: An Examination of Indian Elephant Electrocutions, Poaching, and Mortality Rates* Ground Report December 30, 2023 https://groundreport.in/2023-report-an-examination-of-indian-elephant-electrocutions-poaching-and-mortality-rates/ - google_vignette <https://groundreport.in/2023-report-an-examination-of-indian-elephant-electrocutions-poaching-and-mortality-rates/#google_vignette> *Calls grow for stricter law on wildlife trafficking in Indonesia* Fidelis Satriastanti/Lusia Arumningtyas, Eco-Business December 29, 2023 https://www.eco-business.com/news/calls-grow-for-stricter-law-on-wildlife-trafficking-in-indonesia/ *Banditry, Grazing, Wildlife Trafficking Threaten Conservation In Nigeria* Terkula Igidi, Daily Trust (Nigeria) December 27, 2023 https://dailytrust.com/banditry-grazing-wildlife-trafficking-threaten-conservation-in-nigeria-cg-goni/ *An Elephant on the Loom in River Island Majuli* Roopak Goswami, YourStory December 26, 2023 https://yourstory.com/socialstory/2023/12/grasping-loom-opportunity-elephants-assam-majauli *National Parks Service arrest 646 offenders* Chuks Oyema-Aziken, The Authority (Nigeria) December 24, 2023 https://authorityngr.com/2023/12/24/national-parks-service-arrest-646-offenders/ *Ethical safaris in Africa: how some lodges are pushing conservation and ecology over profit, while still offering luxury experiences* South China Morning Post December 24, 2023 https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3245695/ethical-safaris-africa-how-some-lodges-are-pushing-conservation-and-ecology-over-profit-while-still *Park Service reassures commitment to wildlife conservation for environmental sustainability* Abigael Joshua, EnviroNews Nigeria December 22, 2023 http://www.environewsnigeria.com/park-service-reassures-commitment-to-wildlife-conservation-for-environmental-sustainability/ *OKC Zoo Scientists Conduct First-of-its-Kind Study, How Elephants Use Odors to Identify* News 9 December 22, 2023 https://www.news9.com/story/6585c212d47ad8065c4f07c8/okc-zoo-scientists-conduct-first-of-its-kind-study-how-elephants-use-odors-to-identify *Community Wildlife Scouts to complement sustainable human-wildlife relations - AWF* Gideon Madzikatidze/Simbarashe Sithole, Bulawayo24 December 21, 2023 https://bulawayo24.com/index-id-lifestyle-sc-travel+and+tourism-byo-238498.html *10 Innovative Technologies Revolutionizing Wildlife Conservation and Animal Rights* Willow Lynn, One Green Planet December 21, 2023 https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animals/10-innovative-technologies-revolutionizing-wildlife-conservation-and-animal-rights/ *Trophy hunting Bill banning imports of sick souvenirs set for shock comeback* Ben Glaze, Daily Mirror December 20, 2023 https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/trophy-hunting-bill-banning-imports-31714135 *TWS 2023: Plants Repel Asian Elephants From Crops* Joshua Rapp Learn, The Wildlife Society December 20, 2023 https://wildlife.org/tws-2023-plants-repel-asian-elephants-from-crops/ *Wildlife policy, anti-poaching plan launched to boost tourism* Daily News Tanzania December 17, 2023 https://dailynews.co.tz/wildlife-policy-anti-poaching-plan-launched-to-boost-tourism/ *Benin creating new protected areas to enhance human-elephant coexistence – Hefoume* EnviroNews Nigeria December 14, 2023 https://www.environewsnigeria.com/benin-creating-new-protected-areas-to-enhance-human-elephant-coexistence-hefoume/ *To protect elephants, he bushwhacks and looks for their dung* Edie Lau, VIN News Service December 14, 2023 https://news.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=210&catId=613&Id=11832849 *33 Elephant Reserves Established In 14 Major Elephant States* India Education Diary December 14, 2023 https://indiaeducationdiary.in/33-elephant-reserves-established-in-14-major-elephant-states/ *Mark Davidar was a true conservationist. Elephants were his bodyguards & best friends* Theres Sudeep, The Print December 14, 2023 https://theprint.in/theprint-profile/mark-davidar-was-a-true-conservationist-elephants-were-his-bodyguards-best-friends/1885629/ *What elephants eat — and why they spend so much time eating* Joshika Komarla, ZME Science December 14, 2023 https://www.zmescience.com/feature-post/natural-sciences/animals/mammals/what-elephants-eat-and-why-they-spend-so-much-time-eating/ *$1,500 for 'naturally refined' coffee? Here's what that phrase really means.* Dina Fine Maron, National Geographic December 12, 2023 https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/pricey-coffees-naturally-refined-poop *Interview: ‘Government, officials responsible for forest fragmentation’: Retired Chief Forests Conservator* The New Indian Express December 10, 2023 https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/2023/dec/10/interview-government-officials-responsible-forforest-fragmentation-retired-chief-forests-conservator-2640167.html *Living with elephants: Fostering coexistence in the Okavango Delta of Botswana* Katie Moulton, USDA Forest Service, International Programs December 8, 2023 https://www.fs.usda.gov/features/living-elephants *Two Interpol-led Operations Against Environmental Crime Net 70 Suspects* Lieth Carrillo, OCCRP December 6, 2023 https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/18279-two-interpol-led-operations-against-environmental-crime-net-70-suspects VIDEO / DOCUMENTARIES / AUDIO / PHOTO RELATED *Wildlife Enthusiast Narrates Horrifying Encounter With Elephants* CNN-News18 December 30, 2023 https://www.news18.com/viral/wildlife-enthusiast-narrates-horrifying-encounter-with-elephants-8721896.html *Watch: Elephant rescued after 15 hours in Coimbatore* The Federal December 24, 2023 https://thefederal.com/category/videos/watch-elephant-rescued-after-15-hours-in-coimbatore-104358 *Captivating visuals by world-renowned photographers: A fundraiser for an African elephant sanctuary, empowering indigenous communities to reunite herds* Emma Saletta, Daily Mail December 22, 2023 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12893731/Stirring-images-African-elephant-sanctuary-run-indigenous-women.html *Drought kills exhausted elephants in Zimbabwe* Africanews December 22, 2023 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUoe06m1nOM *Wildlife films to premiere at Rookery Bay’s Festival of Birds* Naples Florida Weekly December 21, 2023 https://bonitasprings.floridaweekly.com/articles/wildlife-films-to-premiere-at-rookery-bays-festival-of-birds/ *Saving Elephants with AI Camera Traps* Dailymotion December 19, 2023 https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8qpnjc *Moment elephant smashes van window in search of food in Sri Lanka* Lou Newton, BBC December 13, 2023 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-67710141 *Elephant Captured Taking a Seat at a Café Near Africa Safari Camp — See the Photos!* Nicholas Rice, People December 10, 2023 https://people.com/elephant-captured-taking-seat-cafe-near-africa-safari-camp-photos-8413821 *Storytelling has power to reshape perspective: Kartiki Gonsalves * Merin James, DT Next December 6, 2023 https://www.dtnext.in/storytelling-has-power-to-reshape-perspective-kartiki-gonsalves RESEARCH STUDIES *Do food distribution and competitor density affect agonistic behaviour within and between clans in a high fission–fusion species?* Hansraj Gautam/T. N. C. Vidya, Royal Society Open Science December 6, 2023 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.230990 *A possible case of congenital tusklessness in a male African elephant (Loxodonta africana) * Giacomo D’Ammando1/David Daballen1/David Lolchuragi1/David Letityia1/George Wittemyer/Vincent Obanda/Iain Douglas-Hamilton/Chris Thouless, Pachyderm Journal November 21, 2023 https://pachydermjournal.org/index.php/pachyderm/article/view/525/1279 *How technology and economics can help save endangered species* Jeff Grabmeier, Ohio State University; Science Daily December 21, 2023 https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/12/231221162241.htm *African animals prefer to graze in spots once inhabited by Iron Age humans* Sierra Boucher, Science December 12, 2023 https://www.science.org/content/article/african-animals-prefer-graze-spots-once-inhabited-iron-age-humans https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140196323001519 *Longer mandible or nose? Co-evolution of feeding organs in early elephantiforms* Chunxiao Li/Tao Deng/Yang Wang/Fajun Sun/Burt Wolff/Qigao Jiangzuo/Jiao Ma/Luda Xing/Jiao Fu/Ji Zhang/Shi-Qi Wang, eLife November 27, 2023 https://elifesciences.org/reviewed-preprints/90908v1 *Widespread evidence for elephant exploitation by Last Interglacial Neanderthals on the North European plain* Sabine Gaudzinski-Windheuser/Lutz Kindler, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences December 4, 2023 https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2309427120 https://phys.org/news/2023-12-straight-tusked-elephants-widespread-neanderthals-years.html *The first use of a photogrammetry drone to estimate population abundance and predict age structure of threatened Sumatran elephants* Dede Aulia Rahman/Riki Herliansyah/Beginer Subhan/Donal Hutasoit/Muhammad Ali Imron/ Didik Bangkit Kurniawan/Teguh Sriyanto/Raden Danang Wijayanto/Muhammad Hilal Fikriansyah/Ahmad Faisal Siregar/Nyoto Santoso, Nature December 3, 2023 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-48635-y CLIMATE IMPACT / HABITAT LOSS *VRDS launches global action campaign to save forests* Times of India December 3, 2023 https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hubballi/vrds-launches-global-action-campaign-to-protect-forests-vanasiri-rural-development-society/articleshow/105691453.cms *Elephants Might Have a Big Carbon Footprint* Katharine Gammon, The Atlantic December 1, 2023 https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2023/12/elephant-conservation-carbon-storage-climate-change/676204/ ART / MUSEUM / BOOKS *Announcing Green Kids Club’s New Book: Lek, the Elephant Whisperer* Newswire December 18, 2023 https://www.newswire.com/news/announcing-green-kids-club-s-new-book-lek-the-elephant-whisperer-22197994 *Google honours elephant who was heavily guarded until death* Manny Anyango, The Star December 6, 2023 https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/realtime/2023-12-06-google-honours-elephant-who-was-heavily-guarded-until-death/ *100+ Photographers Contribute Their Work To Raise Funds for 13 Orphaned Elephants* Regina Sienra, My Modern Met December 2, 2023 https://mymodernmet.com/vital-impacts-2023-annual-print-sale/ ARCHAEOLOGY *Antique artifacts of Central Highlands provinces on display in Gia Lai* Vietnam News Agency December 5, 2023 https://en.vietnamplus.vn/antique-artifacts-of-central-highlands-provinces-on-display-in-gia-lai/272352.vnp *Coal miners lead paleontologists to partial mammoth fossil in North Dakota* Aliza Chasan, CBS News December 18, 2023 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/north-dakota-mammoth-fossil-coal-miners-paleontology-geological-survey/ *Unusual ancient elephant tracks had our team of fossil experts stumped—how we solved the mystery* Charles Helm, Phys.org December 27, 2023 https://phys.org/news/2023-12-unusual-ancient-elephant-tracks-team.html https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016787823000792