The elephant is actually in the room

"The aim of our patrol," it seems, is no longer "a question rather droll." Researchers and conservationists have grown increasingly alarmed by the violent behaviour of elephants in recent years. Across Africa and India, incidents of Human-Elephant conflict have increased manifold. This week, for instance, a herd of elephants - grieving the loss of one of their compatriots - mounted nightly raids on villages in the Indian state of Jharkhand. Elephants have killed on average over 50 people a year for the past 12 years in the eastern state of Assam, many through meticulous execution-style gorings. Not only humans but other animals are feeling the pain of elephantine aggro and angst, with rhinoceroses particularly singled out for abuse. The phenomenon of pachyderm violence received mammoth treatment in The New York Times magazine this weekend. As a result of increased poaching, encroachment on their habitat, and environmental change, the article suggests that Colonel Hathi and his ilk are facing "nothing less than a precipitous collapse of elephant culture."