Jumbo e-prayers for elephants
10/05/2007 09:48 - (SA)



Mariska Spoormaker, Die Burger


Port Elizabeth - A prayer group for elephants, which has a link to the internet, are on their knees as South Africa considers the possibility of selective culling.

The prayer circle, known as E-posse, spans several continents via an internet link which leads to Join the Elephant Prayer Circle.

Anna Breytenbach, one of the few animal communicators in South Africa, is throwing her full weight behind it.

The prayer group is 258-strong, which includes 34 South Africans in prayer for the welfare of the tusked giants.

Breytenbach who trained at the Assisi International Animal Institute in California to communicate with animals and who practices in South Africa and North America, gives her blessing to the prayer group in an e-mail.

"Each one of us can make a difference through our thoughts and our intentions."

Leslie Temple-Thurston, the American who started the internet prayer group for elephants, believes that nature conservation organisations are really not doing more than just plugging the leak in terms of sustainable conservation practices. "It's finger-in-the dyke stuff."

Real progress was difficult because too many people still saw themselves as "outside" nature.

She writes in her request to people to join the elephant prayer circle: "Only when people begin to realise that they are one with nature, and that what is happening in nature will impact on them on a spiritual plane, will there be hope for the flora and fauna kingdoms.

"If we begin in spirit to pray for the welfare of elephants and ask ourselves how we can get back in balance with nature, then help will undoubtedly come.

"If that's the case, then they should pray for a miracle, for example a bigger earth, so that there could be unlimited space for everyone," was the reaction of Professor Pieter van Niekerk, head of the department of agriculture and game management at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

"They mean well, but don't have much information. There are unfortunately only three options with overpopulated elephant numbers: translocation (which is expensive and traumatic for the animals) birth control (also expensive and difficult to do effectively) and selective culling."

For him, the only sensible option is the last one.

"There is a biblical injunction that we should rule over nature in a responsible way. Too many elephants not only destroy the vegetation, they also destroy the land and cause erosion. When flora is destroyed it takes generations to recover."

"In any event, what will we do if the elephants multiply and the water runs out? Selective culling must be implemented so that those that remain can live a good life and generate good and strong populations."

If those people were really dedicated to saving the elephants they would chain themselves to the animals to prevent them from being shot.

fatastic idea, Ann!!!

They may just as well chant OOOOMMMMMMMMMMM for all the good it does.

If the animal communicator is as good as she says then someone ought to offer to hire her out on a few dangerous game hunts and let her lead out and show her stuff. That way you might stand a chance of being assured of not getting charged, gored, mauled, or eaten by any angry or wounded cape buffalo, elephant, lion, leopard, rhino, hippo or crocodile. Perhaps an offer to her of a swim in the Zambezi would prove her worth. Of course, the prayer circle should also be invited to pray for her while she does so. By the way, trained in California? That says it all.

My question would be, Who are these people praying to?

Elephant whisperers!! Every year Mhoots are killed by their elephant friends! So as Ann says, chain them to the elephants! Especially in muhst. Oh and make sure you tape it!!

Good question Bob: I bet they're praying to Lord Dumbo, King of all knowing, all seeing Elemetropolis. It is he who shall decide to either accept their prayers or come over and stomp a mud hole in their arses. LDK

Well they could airdrop a big dose of rinderpest or anthrax onto them ! that would be ''Natural'' culling and in harmony with nature ,and they could miss out on all those Hunters generous donations to help with conservation ,wages ,schools ,hospitals etc, and we would all have a healthy remaining population of elephants ,habitat ,ecosystem and so on .... but try telling that to those who are so blind, they cannot see ..............but the natives who live there would umm miss out [but what greenie really cares about people ]

Hell,

Why dont they pray for a very big plane and lost of money catch all the extra ele's and relocate them to places like Angola, DRC and more countries that has been ravaged by civil war then in a few years time we will have PAC hunts in almost every African country

A Califorican woman with a hyphenated name has come up with the answer. I bet all those guys in South Africa feel real stupid right about now.

Her solution is golden ...

"If we begin in spirit to pray for the welfare of elephants and ask ourselves how we can get back in balance with nature, then help will undoubtedly come."