Mountain Bull, legendary Kenyan elephant, found dead

[peoli]

Source: CBS

Mountain Bull, the magnificent six-ton elephant, featured prominently in our reporting on the poaching crisis in Africa for CBS Evening News and CBS Sunday morning, has been discovered dead.

Perhaps he had been living on borrowed time, but the manner and place of his death is shocking and deeply disheartening to conservationists and Kenyans.

He was a troublesome elephant at least according to human standards - intelligent, wide ranging, and fence breaking with his massive, perfectly matched tusks. During the dry season he would often retreat to the protected and secluded cool forests of Mount Kenya, but in the wet season, he would strike out for undiscovered country far to the north. Fences were but a minor nuisance for him. He knocked them down with his tusks and neighboring crops became a tasty snack for his journeys.

In October of 2012, CBS News producer Jack Renaud and cameraman Wim de Vos travelled with me to Kenya to film a risky capture and partial de-tusking operation on Mountain Bull. Kenya Wildlife Service vets undertook a dynamic operation to dart him and while he rumbled in an anesthetic slumber they fired up a chain saw and sawed off the ends of his tusks while we, awed by his might, crowded in for a gentle touch.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mountain-bull-legendary-kenyan-elephant-found-dead/

[narnian60]

1. Horrible and disgusting.

When will this crap end.

[peoli]

2. When human beings are no longer slaves to money.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

14. and when our population shrinks

so that we are in balance with the rest of Life.

As we continue to overtake the planet, destroying everything as we use it for our survival (which ultimately equals $$), our cruelty to each other and to the rest of the living Earth will worsen.

[NickB79]

39. The farmers who lose crops are trying to feed their families

Farmers have long fought elephants to save their crops, because when you only have a few acres of land, a mature elephant can destroy your entire season's crops in one night.

Crops they need to feed their families.

Ultimately, this boils down to too many humans, encroaching on too little remaining wild lands, on a continent where wildlife evolved to migrate long distances to find food and water as the seasons changed.

It's a recipe for disaster.

[ladjf]

13. when humans no longer inhabit the Earth. We are an infestation. nt

[narnian60]

23. +100

[defacto7]

29. ^ this ^

a virus. (sic)

[wordpix]

37. will never end unless/until humans/animals are in balance again

That will only happen if humans get control of their population, which does not look likely.

I feel sorry for the younger generation. I only have one (now grown) child but I feel sorry for him, too. He is inheriting a dangerous world that is out of kilter due to human population growth and poverty and its evil twin, greed.

[TeeYiYi]

3. .

TYY

[catbyte]

4. People suck

[peoli]

5. Kenya has a 3,000 man Wildlife Ranger Force

but the area they patrol is so big that one man = 6 square miles to patrol. I find it fascinating that they are risking their lives to protect Nature against people who will not only kill Wildlife but also kill any human being that stands in the way. This is life when life is not sacred.

To me the Wildlife Ranger Force are hero's.

[Ash_F]

8. That is true but they are getting a steady income too.

I'm not trying to diminish their efforts; I heard the man speak. But it is easier to be on the side of right if you can make a living doing it.

[peoli]

9. "We have to risk our lives because we have the passion in our hearts."

I'm glad that they are getting paid. I wish Kenya would quadruple their forces.

[Ash_F]

10. Yep, I heard that part.

I believe him.

[Ash_F]

11. Actually, that brings up a question. Where do the rangers live?

Where do the poachers live in relation to them? Are they fighting their own neighbors? If so, what is that like?

Is there an ethnic, religious or class divide behind the scenes here?

[BlancheSplanchnik]

15. yes. n/t

[heaven05]

6. how tragic

and thoroughly disgusting this is. Well we're doing enough damage to this planet to be all but eradicated in the next two centuries or so. Probably won't take us that long, and we want to settle other planets. For what? To destroy them and whatever lifeforms are on it too? geez

[Ash_F]

7. Vets removed most of his tusks in an effort to make him less of a target.

They killed him anyway just for the stubs.

They mentioned educating locals about conservationism and the benefits of tourism. The problem with that is there are always going to be some people who will be locked out of the economy. Those who can not take part will be tempted toward crime. If they can address poverty across the board in these areas that could help immensely.

[glinda]

12. I have a difficult time when people reveal where these lovely creatures are.

Seems like it is then a matter of time before they are murdered. Makes me sick to my stomach.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

16. true

oh god, I need to get offline....the cruelty and sorrow is too much.

[red dog 1]

17. K&R...Thanks for posting

The Kenyan Wildlife Rangers risk their lives every day for very little pay.

"This is clearly a relentless campaign, and one with no likely end as long as the seemingly insatiable demand for ivory and other endangered animal parts in Asia continues.
The mental strain for those at the sharp end must be momentous."

One ranger, 28-year-old Paul Nyerito, said:
"The animals are innocents...They're not guilty....They don't know they carry these prescious things.that place them at risk. If they did, they would try to protect themselves, but they can't.
They're innocent like children, and like children, I must do what I can to protect them."

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/defense-force-kenyas-poacher-hunters-8989711.html

[peoli]

21. Thank you for sharing. Great Information.

[Glorfindel]

18. Tragic and agonizing

My cousin saw this magnificent animal three years ago. She sent a heartbroken email and a link to me earlier today. Sometimes I'm ashamed to be a human being.

[onehandle]

19. And off to China the ivory goes... nt

[McCamy Taylor]

22. If the world "just said no" to the ivory, they would not die.

Sad to say that making his tucks non lethal probably put him at the mercy of spear wielding poachers. With real tusks, he could have fought them off. They probably looked at him and thought "An easy one!"

[mithnanthy]

24. My ruthless adopted Father was a doctor and a serial animal murderer

I watched him suffer when he died. He hated cats. Had his Airedale terrier hunt and kill them as he photographed them at his "gentleman farm". Believe in Karma................... I 'inherited" the full mounted leopard, the full mounted tiger rug, elephant ivory jewelry, elephant foot stool, elephant underfoot "cocktail server", elephant tail hair jewelry, AND elephant PRIVATE PART!(penis cane) Also an Oozic(walrus)full penis bone (certain animals have a "bone" in their penis...like walrus, elephant (to make breeding easier) and other smaller animal penis' and it's "jewelry&quot earrings, bracelets) . My adopted father was a very disturbed little man. Believe when they say...a GUN represents a PENIS. I rest my case.

[CountAllVotes]

25. Note what is under my post re: cats

Your adopted late father ...

Well it is not nice to speak ill of the dead so I shall refrain but the proverb below my name says it all I'd say.

[mithnanthy]

26. Thank you for your opinion. I respect that.

But, I respect the innocent dead too and those who deserve the respect......I was only relating the truth of what he did. Our house was FULL of bodies of poor helpless animals murdered by this person. (over 200+ animals)...He was a club member of International Safari Club and The Boone and Crockett Club, who encourage murdering animals en masse for glory and "points' in that organization. It's hard to respect him after everything he did to them. Just a decent question...would you think, that respect is deserved of a willful murderer of defenseless animals? I just can't get past the joy he got from cutting them down, playing with their bodies on camera and laughing.... He was cruel to me also...he liked hurting the weak. Like I said, he was a sick man. But thank you for your remarks.

[CountAllVotes]

27. I'm sad to learn your life has been surrounded by this evil

And yes, to me that is what it is -- EVIL.

I hope that you will be able to move beyond his sick mind that hurt you as well as lots of innocent animals and probably people too.

Hang in there my friend.

[defacto7]

28. Is CBS News a pay site?

I can't get it.

I'd prefer links to sites we all can read... Thank you.

Elephant that symbolized Kenya’s wildlife conservation campaign found dead at 46

The story is a pitiful reminder of what rules the world... money and power... and who has ruled the earth for the last ~6000 years... humankind. We will certainly be a short lived species.

The Kenyan Wildlife Rangers and all others who protect life are certainly heroes, but the source of the ugliness itself is ignorance. The middleman is poverty.

[peoli]

30. No it's a free site.

[defacto7]

33. Wow,

Three times now links from posters including this one don't load from this site. It's actually been a while since I remember getting through to this CBS page, with or without Java script or Java, it just sits there with the title banner and a blank page.????

I'll have to look into it.

Thanks!

[Sunlei]

31. "Mountain Bull had been killed silently with spears" in middle of the park! 24/7 web cams across

those parks so the general public can watch and report the poachers!! couple dozen 24/7 web cams would be much better than those 3,000 Kenyan park guards! when they collar these elephants /w GPS they should have a web cam on that collar!

We need the same 24/7 public web cams in our American parks. We also have problems with hunting poacher's , thieves stealing ancient items, people stealing, harassing and shooting our wild horses and people using ATVs where they aren't allowed.

[alphafemale]

32. We need to start finding shipments of this medicine.

And start putting strychnine in it.

Or maybe something that doesn't kill but really, really hurts.


These ruthless fucks would kill the last tiger.

[The Stranger]

34. I'm still not understanding why the Kenyan government doesn't protect this invaluable world resource

This was a bull elephant that was world renowned. This is a world resource that is being obliterated by things I will not even give the respect to call thugs, much less humans.

And even if you don't see it from an ecological standpoint, if we must stoop to fucking money, then why not protect this as a source of world tourism? There are whole economies built upon tourism. This elephant was a world celebrity. People will pay good money for this.

Where in the fuck are the Kenyans on this?

I'm still not understanding it.

[peoli]

35. They have 3,000 armed men on patrol protecting wildlife.

But it is enough to only equal 1 man per 6 miles.....

Are you talking about only protecting this one Elephant exclusively.... like what would you have them do?

[The Stranger]

36. Hire more men/patrols.

Create a state agency to regulate (and charge for) tourism of Kenyan wildlife.

This would not only include elephants, but other flora and fauna.

Charge for educational tours of some parts of the wildlife.

Hire more men/patrols.

[wordpix]

38. according to a Kenyan friend, Kenya's officials are completely corrupt

My friend is now a legal US resident. She is always amazed when officials are caught here in graft and corruption scandals. She says this never happens in Kenya, or it's very rare.


It would explain why protecting parks are off Kenyan officials' radar if they're just protecting their own private assets.