Sunday, May 07, 2000
Animals also fall victim to dangers of leftover land mines - A.P.
When Motola the logging elephant lost a foot to a land mine on the Thai-Myanmar border last August, it made headlines -- but only because her trainer took her to a special elephant hospital in northern Thailand. Countless other hapless, smaller beasts die unremarked in the wild.
Land mines have become almost synonymous with modern warfare. There are an estimated 110 million of the life-threatening traps buried in 64 countries around the world.
About 25,000 people are injured or killed every year by mines, and studies suggest the toll on animals is 10 to 20 times as high.
Removal is a slow and expensive process. Typically, the biggest concentrations of mines are found in countries with the least amount of resources to deal with them -- places like Cambodia and Afghanistan.
...
The loss of animals often affects the same farmers, worsening their economic plight. A study of Bosnia, Afghanistan, Cambodia and Mozambique published in 1995 found that the 32,904 households surveyed lost a total of 54,554 animals at an average cash equivalent loss of $200 to each household. That's the average annual income in some countries.
When Motola the logging elephant lost a foot to a land mine on the Thai-Myanmar border last August, it made headlines -- but only because her trainer took her to a special elephant hospital in northern Thailand. Countless other hapless, smaller beasts die unremarked in the wild.
Land mines have become almost synonymous with modern warfare. There are an estimated 110 million of the life-threatening traps buried in 64 countries around the world.
About 25,000 people are injured or killed every year by mines, and studies suggest the toll on animals is 10 to 20 times as high.
Removal is a slow and expensive process. Typically, the biggest concentrations of mines are found in countries with the least amount of resources to deal with them -- places like Cambodia and Afghanistan.
...
The loss of animals often affects the same farmers, worsening their economic plight. A study of Bosnia, Afghanistan, Cambodia and Mozambique published in 1995 found that the 32,904 households surveyed lost a total of 54,554 animals at an average cash equivalent loss of $200 to each household. That's the average annual income in some countries.
Labels: animals
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