honorable mention
Arun Nangla united kingdom
title
The elephant in the room
The deadly threat for Asian Elephants is habitat loss.
Human activities are pushing the boundaries of the nature. The causes of risk for the elephant are emergencies for the environment and show dramatic contradictions in the society. It’s a no-win situation. It's time to talk about the elephant in the room.
Hira is a 35 years old elephant born and raised in New Delhi. Hira is used for events and weddings, but mainly Hira is part of the family. The biggest possible pet.
Hira's photos were captured in November 2017, during the “Great Smog”. Air pollution in Delhi reached the most dangerous peaks ever.
Stubble burning, factories dangerously close to residential areas, and more than 10millions vehicles are the primary causes of this situation.
The levels of fine pollutants reached more than 11 times the World Health Organisation’s safe limit. Schools were shut for days and people were recommended to stay home.
Despite being considered by Hindu religion a holy river, Yamuna river is the most polluted river in India, among the five most polluted in the world. This is where Hira bathes every day.
As far as the authorities know there are seven domesticated elephants in Delhi, owned by four people. According to the local Forest Department they should be confiscated and shifted to wildlife sanctuaries. Hira’s owners challenged this order, asking the government to be granted a land outside the city in order to not be separated from the elephant who never lived in the wild. They are planning to move Hira to another state, but the destiny of the elephant is not yet clear.
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entry description
Asian Elephant is an endangered species. There are 350,000 African Elephants in the wild, whilst Asian elephants in the wild are less than 50,000.The deadly threat for Asian Elephants is habitat loss.
Human activities are pushing the boundaries of the nature. The causes of risk for the elephant are emergencies for the environment and show dramatic contradictions in the society. It’s a no-win situation. It's time to talk about the elephant in the room.
Hira is a 35 years old elephant born and raised in New Delhi. Hira is used for events and weddings, but mainly Hira is part of the family. The biggest possible pet.
Hira's photos were captured in November 2017, during the “Great Smog”. Air pollution in Delhi reached the most dangerous peaks ever.
Stubble burning, factories dangerously close to residential areas, and more than 10millions vehicles are the primary causes of this situation.
The levels of fine pollutants reached more than 11 times the World Health Organisation’s safe limit. Schools were shut for days and people were recommended to stay home.
Despite being considered by Hindu religion a holy river, Yamuna river is the most polluted river in India, among the five most polluted in the world. This is where Hira bathes every day.
As far as the authorities know there are seven domesticated elephants in Delhi, owned by four people. According to the local Forest Department they should be confiscated and shifted to wildlife sanctuaries. Hira’s owners challenged this order, asking the government to be granted a land outside the city in order to not be separated from the elephant who never lived in the wild. They are planning to move Hira to another state, but the destiny of the elephant is not yet clear.
back to gallery