CD2 12
INTERVIEWER: So what are the main problems facing elephants in Asia?
JOHN : Well, it's the usual story. I'm afraid. The forests and other areas of land where elephants live are getting smaller because people are cutting down all the trees. One of the biggest problems is that elephants walk from place to place along paths that their families have used for hundreds of years.
INTERVIEWER: Right.
JOHN : But if people build a village on one of these paths, the elephants will walk straight through it.
INTERVIEWER: And of course this causes a lot of problems for the villagers.
JOHN: Yes, because the elephants eat the food that the villagers are growing, and sometimes they also destroy their homes. In the elephants’ heads, it’s still their land, you see.
INTERVIEWER: And how can we solve this problem?
JOHN: Well, the best way is to make what we call “elephant corridors”. The World Land Trust works with the villagers to protect the areas of land where the elephants walk. This means that the elephants can travel from place to place without meeting any people.
INTERVIEWER: And what about the people who live in these areas?
JOHN: We build them new villages, away from the elephant corridor.
INTERVIEWER: And do the people want to move?
JOHN: Oh yes, definitely. The people in the villages are very happy to move to a place that is safer for them and their families.
INTERVIEWER: So elephant corridors are good for people and for elephants.
JOHN: Yes, indeed
INTERVIEWER: Well, it’s good to hear a positive story about wildlife. Thank you for talking to us, John.
JOHN: My pleasure.