Why are elephants so highly priced?

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Why are elephants so highly priced?

About two years ago, when I started a funny thread here, cost of a male elephant was around 70-80 lakh Indian rupees. Last week, I happened to read in newspaper about the selling of an elephant. I can't believe, it was sold for rupees near 1.5 crore (Can't remember the correct figure). Elephants are used for temple festivals only, that too from January to May. Their food expenses, insurance, tax etc.....Still I don't know why they are so highly priced? Is it because elephant is a symbol of status??

Sandhya Rani

Category: General Reference 11 years ago

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Abhijit Dnyaneshwar Bangal · Answer 1 · 2014-03-11 03:58:18

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Due to their size Sandhyaji... Just kidding. But are elephants really a symbol status? Even rich people do not see it as one, as far as I know. But yes, they do serve people in a lot of ways, especially for heavy duty work. So, it is but natural that they will be costly.

Answered 11 years ago

haha

i wonder what will be price of Blue Whale!!!

Yes Abhi, in Kerala elephants are symbols of status...only millionaires can dream about it... like people keeping high status car though they use rarely - Sandhya Rani - 11 years ago

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Abhijit Dnyaneshwar Bangal

Mousumi Ghosh · Answer 2 · 2014-08-07 18:40:34

Elephants are considered as a status symbol only in Kerela I guess, apart from that I guess because the maintenance cost of an elephant is so high that is why the price of a elephant is bound to be high. Moreover, if the elephants are not given proper care..they will soon be become an extinct species..because elephants are killed for their teeth...ivory..this can be another reason why elephants are highly priced.

rambabu · Answer 3 · 2014-03-09 06:00:28

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No, elephants are not used just for temple rituals only. There are many places, where elephants are used for transporting heavy materials, where there is no possibility of operating conventional mechanical transporting facilities like trucks and tractors.In Andaman and Nicobar islands and remote places where modern fransporting vehicles cannot enter due to lack of roads and bridges, elephants are used by businessmen in Wood transporting to the mainland.
Another reason for it's high price is, It's tusks are in great demand after its death. And it is a big foreign exchange earner.

Answered 11 years ago

ya, now also practices to use elephants to pull woods exist, though not frequent as usual. Now machines have taken over many of their jobs. Then, why so demand? Is it only for tusk and teeth...do they cost so much? - Sandhya Rani - 11 years ago

Originally elephants are known as 'Beasts of burden' since centuries. They are still in use for load carrying in places where there is no chance of availing modern mechanized means of transportation. In addition to this ivory carvings are a booming business all over the world. Elephant hides are used for high quality clothes and furnishings. It's a lesser known fact that elephant products are used for medicinal purposes in traditional medicines. In the above light you can imagine why elephants are high priced. - rambabu - 11 years ago

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rambabu

RobertP · Answer 4 · 2014-03-15 05:40:01

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I suspect if elephant could be considered as the symbol of status. I beleive it is so expensive because of the following reasons.

Use in Temple rituals
Use in carrying heavy weight materials.
Use in tourism.

Answered 11 years ago

	Now I remember one comedy scene from a Malayalam movie, can't remember its name. When a boy with his family comes to a rich aristocratic family to see a girl, in the courtyard, beneath a tree some elephant dung is placed... also a chain tied to the tree, to indicate that the family owns an elephant. It's a comedy scene, you knw - Sandhya Rani - 11 years ago
	Elephant nowhere in the scene. When asked about it, the owner says, gone to bath or something else..... - Sandhya Rani - 11 years ago

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RobertP

Sheetal Kumar N · Answer 5 · 2018-06-07 20:58:15

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Elephants are majestic creatures and therefore would be expensive to adopt one.

Answered 6 years ago

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Sheetal Kumar N

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Why are elephants so highly priced?

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