Socialite becomes unlikely icon for conservationists

SOCIALITE and former drink-driving jailbird Paris Hilton has become an unlikely icon for conservationists trying to highlight the plight of binge-drinking elephants in north-eastern India.

Ms Hilton made what appeared to be a few throwaway comments after hearing how six wild elephants that broke into a farm in the state of Meghalaya were electrocuted after drinking supplies of home-made rice beer then uprooting an electricity pole.

“There would have been more casualties if the villagers hadn’t chased them away. And four elephants died in a similar way three years ago. It is just so sad,” Ms Hilton said last week.

“The elephants get drunk all the time. It is becoming really dangerous.

“We need to stop making alcohol available to them,” she said.

Her comments were subsequently picked up by websites and newspapers around the globe.

“I am indeed happy Ms Hilton has taken note of recent incidents of wild elephants in north-east India going berserk after drinking home-made rice beer and getting killed,” Sangeeta Goswami, who heads animal rights group People for Animals, said.

“As part of her global elephant campaign, Ms Hilton should, in fact, think of visiting this region literally infested with elephants,” Ms Goswami added.

While welcoming Ms Hilton’s interest, another conservationist said elephant alcohol abuse was just a symptom of the real problem.

“Elephants appear on human settlements... because they have no habitat left due to wanton destruction of forests,” said Soumyadeep Dutta, of Nature’s Beckon, a leading regional conservation group.

“A celebrity like Paris Hilton must focus her attention on this fact.”