Noble beast is under siege

RECENT events in Cork have put the spotlight on elephants.

The world’s largest land animal is in all sorts of trouble.

As human populations grow, more land is being farmed in Africa and Southeast Asia. Elephants, deprived of living space, are becoming more aggressive. A poor farmer’s plot can be invaded by hungry animals and his crop wiped out in a matter of hours; tempers flare and villagers take the law into their own hands.