Elephant Repellent Tested In India

Makarand writes "According to this article in the Hindustan Times (India) a joint team of American and Indian scientists is testing an elephant repellent in the southern state of Kerala in India. Perforated steel rollers were placed in the elephant herd's path to disperse the repellent. The repellents are ketones released by bull elephants during the mating season. A large number of elephants are killed by farmers defending their crops and an effective repellent may protect both elephants and crops."

Comments

There's no elephants around here!

[TheOnlyCoolTim]

It works!

Tim

Re:There's no elephants around here!

[Neop2Lemus]

Thats cuz theres mice in your house. Dum Dum

Male pheromones?

[mnmn]

Now the farmers will only have to deal with thundering herds of giant horny female elephants.

Re:Male pheromones?

[Molina the Bofh]

Worse than that. They'll have to deal with loads of spam like this:

You Can Reppel Male or Female Elephants FAST Learn How

Human Elephant Pheromone cologne/perfume is a brand new formula that contains Elephant Sex Pheromones scientifically designed and proven to reppel the opposite sex. Although we all naturally produce pheromones, 95% of us produce them in such a small amount they are not very effective, This is why wearing our pheromones will drastically improve your crop!! People wont even know you are wearing them. Just as animals use scents to attract the opposite sex, elephants respond to pheromones that can greatly increase your chances of repelling them, and getting the attention and intimacy you desire.

The should have talked to the greeks.

[Anonymous Coward]

Turns out they found out, thanks to Hannibal, that elephants don't like the smell of horse blood, among other things. No, shortage of horses.

Re:The should have talked to the greeks.

[MrDolby]

Wasn't Hannibal from Carthage?

Male sent?

[IANAL(BIAILS)]

I can see how this would repel the female elephants, but wouldn't male sent, especially that during mating season, attract the other males? I'd think that they would come looking for a fight and protect 'their' females... and wouldn't large ornary male elephants be the ones you're specifically trying to avoid?

Re:Male sent?

[pilot1]

Exactly!
Not to mention the homosexual elephants that would be attracted...
There are homosexual elephants, right? There must be.

Elephant talk

[ptaff]

A guy is alone in downtown Washington, holding a spraying bottle in his hand, vaporizing his stuff with great pride. One of his friends passes by:

- Bob, what are you doing there?
- I'm experimenting a new elephant repellent.
- But, but, ... there's no elephant around here!
- Proves that my stuff works!

Re:Elephant talk

[Nucleon500]

[long pause] Bob, I'd like to buy your elephant repellent.

Re:uhh.......

[illuvata]

somehow i think the only reason this story was posted was because of timothy liked the when-shoo-shoo-isn't-enough dept.

Aren't elephants a standard unit of weight?

[NanoGator]

Doesn't that mean they're testing anti-gravity?

Slashdot Poll: Favorite Elephant Repellent

[GuyMannDude]

• Bull elephant ketones
• Mice
• Sprinkling peanuts everywhere outside the target area
• I like elephants you insensitive clod!
• CowboyNeal's cologne

Re:Male sCent?

[understyled]

From the article: "[Asian Elephant Research and Conservation Centre (AERCC) Director R Sukumar said] elephants were sensitive to smells, and the ketones were effective in driving away other bulls during the mating season.."

stinky pharamones released by big fat stinky guys during mating season would drive me away too. but hey, i guess you might come across the gay elephant who likes that sort of thing..

rocko's modern life

[mcryptic]

This remind me of that episode were rocko was testing the wild giraffe repellent.

Re:Forget repelling them

[Anonymous Coward]

What I want to know is if they've figured out how to make an elephant float.

Root beer, an elephant, and two scoops of ice cream.

Elephant Patrol

[Jetboy01]

homer: "There's not a single bear in sight--the 'Bear Patrol' is working like a charm".
Lisa: "That's specious reasoning,"
Homer: "Thanks, honey,"
Lisa: "According to your logic, this rock keeps tigers away".
Homer: "Hmmm. How does it work?"
Lisa: "It doesn't."
Homer: "How so?"
Lisa: "It's just a rock, but I don't see a tiger, anywhere."
Homer: "Lisa, I want to buy your rock."

them's fightin' ketones

[Ramasaur]

I'm confused. As far as I know from my limited Animal Channel education, only female elephants form herds. Like a hideous sexual stereotype, the rowdy male elephant is banished from the female-led, loving, communal herd at a young age. At this point he rampages about the countryside being horny and antisocial. Every now and then he'll run across a herd or females and mate with one or two, but then it's back to the lonely life for him. So, I don't see how fightin' ketones are going to keep the herds of female elephants from ravaging fields. Then again, I'm not a member of the Asian Elephant Research and Conservation Centre.

anthrocentric

[Stephen Samuel]

I know from my limited Animal Channel education, only female elephants form herds. Like a hideous sexual stereotype, the rowdy male elephant is banished from the female-led, loving, communal herd at a young age [. . . . . . .] So, I don't see how fightin' ketones are going to keep the herds of female elephants from ravaging fields. .....

If Elephant females were hot and horny all he time, they wouldn't be bannishing the males, to begin with would they?

Humans are unusual in the mammalian world in that females are able to (under appropriate conditions) have (and enjoy) sex pretty much any time of the year/month (a trait we share with rabbits). Most other female mammals have short periods during which they are in heat. Add to this the Elephant pregnancy term of about 2 years followed by god-only-knows-how-many years of rearing the young before you're ready for another session, and you're looking at something like Spock's 7-year itch in "Amok Time".

I understand that when a human female is not ready for sex, it can be downright painful. I'm presuming the same for an unready pachyderm.

For all practical purposes, you can consider the average female state to be something like an elephantine version of both PMS and a headache. Now consider a herd of these heading north and suddenly realizing that there is a huge, unshaved, male ahead of you who is sooo horny that you can smell it from here.

All of a sudden, West might seem like a good idea.....

Re:anthrocentric

[NDPTAL85]

Humans and or primates? Pretty much ALL primates are able to have sex whenever they want to.

ouch...

[-Maurice66-]

As long as those elephants do not sting.

M

Someone Send This to the Humans

[CrankyFool]

They sure could have used this when they were getting attacked by the oliphants ...

the end

[poofyhairguy82]

the end is near my friends