The Asian elephant : ecology and management /

This fine volume on the Asian elephant is certainly timely and thorough. Sukumar begins with a fascinating historical background that allows the reader to understand the relationship between humans and elephants. In addition, he shows the impact of Asian elephants on human cultures within the animal's area of distribution. The book contains the most recent information on status and distribution of Asian elephants, with distribution maps that are accurate and on a large enough scale to allow the reader to make use of them. The remainder of the book is divided into sections dealing with Sukumar's own work on the ecology and management of this species. His studies focused on understanding the conflict between elephants and people in relation to the life history of the elephant. In this work, he provides detailed information on movement and habitat use, feeding and nutrition, impact on vegetation and carrying capacity, crop raiding, manslaughter by elephants, habitat manipulation by people, elephant slaughter by people, population dynamics, and conservation and management. This book is the most current work on this subject and is designed mainly for a professional audience. However, general readers with a strong interest in elephants will be able to use this as a resource. -D. W. Kitchen, Humboldt State University