elephant
Let an agent handle elephants by species, biology, behaviour, conservation, welfare and human-elephant relations, with sourced information and no facilitation of poaching or ivory trade.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Species Which elephant.
Identify
Species.
Identify
Species identification.
- Is this an African bush, African forest or Asian elephant? definition
- Which features distinguish them? definition
Status
Red List.
Status
Conservation status.
- What is the IUCN Red List status of this species? provenance
- What are population trends, according to recent surveys? provenance
Biology Behaviour.
Social
Herds.
Social
Social life.
- How are elephant family groups organised, according to research? provenance
- How do they communicate? definition
Ecology
Ecosystem role.
Ecology
Ecological role.
- How do elephants shape their ecosystems? provenance
- Why are they keystone species? definition
Conservation Protection.
Threats
Poaching and conflict.
Threats
Threats.
- What are the main threats, and which projects address them? provenance
- How can people support reputable organisations? action
Ivory
Trade rules.
Ivory
Ivory rules.
- Is buying or selling ivory legal here, according to law? provenance
- How can suspected wildlife trafficking be reported? action
People Tourism and history.
Tourism
Ethical tourism.
Tourism
Ethical tourism.
- Which welfare standards should an elephant sanctuary meet, according to welfare bodies? provenance
- Why is riding discouraged by many organisations? provenance
Heritage
Cultural history.
Heritage
Cultural history.
- What roles have elephants played in religion, work and history, according to historians? provenance
- How is this described respectfully? boundary
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.LIV
- Other names and narrower kinds
- captive elephant, Temple elephant, war elephant, Seleucid war elephants, Roman war elephants, Persian war elephants, Asian elephant, African elephant, Kallana, Indian elephant
What it is Filled
The largest living land animals, comprising the African bush elephant, African forest elephant and Asian elephant, with trunks, tusks in many individuals and complex social lives; elephants are threatened by habitat loss and poaching for ivory, and have long histories with people, including in work, religion and warfare.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent handle elephants by species, biology, behaviour, conservation, welfare and human-elephant relations, with sourced information and no facilitation of poaching or ivory trade.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Largest land animals
- Highly social and intelligent
- Long lives and pregnancies
- Keystone species
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Help anyone poach elephants or trade in ivory.
- Disturb, chase or approach elephants closely with vehicles or drones.
- Publish the precise location of elephants where it helps poachers.
- Promote riding, performances or captive use that harms elephants' welfare.
Only with a human decision
- Any decision to dart, relocate or cull an elephant.
- Responding to an elephant that is threatening people.
May
- Identify elephants and report their location to conservation and wildlife authorities.
- Monitor herds and warn communities of elephants approaching farms or villages.
Moral aspects Filled
- Elephants are intelligent, social animals; their suffering in captivity and from poaching is real.
- Farmers living with elephants bear real losses that conservation must address.
Who is affected
- The elephants
- Rural communities sharing land with them
- Rangers
Owners Filled
Steward
Nobody: wild and protected by law; wildlife authorities and keepers answer for captive animals.
Master systems
- CITES trade database
- IUCN Red List
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q7377 - registry parent class
related
- mammal - category
- CITES - treaty
- poaching and habitat loss - threats
- mammoth - extinct relative
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.elephant
- Wikidata: Q7378 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7378)
Direct properties required Filled
- adult African bush elephant mass: up to about 6 tonnes - large males
Recognition required Filled
- Trunk and large ears
- African ears larger than Asian
- Mammoths are extinct relatives
- Huge grey mammals with trunks, large ears, tusks in many individuals and thick skin.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- identify elephant species
- describe biology and social behaviour
- find conservation status and projects
- choose ethical elephant tourism
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Human-elephant conflict and injuries
- Unethical riding and performance tourism
- Facilitating ivory trade
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- CITES listings and ivory trade bans
- National wildlife protection law
- Animal welfare standards for captive elephants
Context of use required Filled
- Biodiversity, conservation and cultural heritage.
- African bush elephant
- African forest elephant
- Asian elephant
- captive and working elephants
- historical war and temple elephants
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q7378: elephant - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Elephant - general description of the item
Open questions
- Should each species be a separate entry?
- How should population data be linked?
- How should heritage uses be framed?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q7378/spec.json