In this lecture, I will show that an anthropocentric ethics is unavoidable in our dealings with nature, regardless of how our relationship to nature is defined from an ethical perspective. I will put forward three arguments for this claim. The first argument is of an epistemic nature. Even if, in our worldview, nature or non-human beings are assigned intrinsic value or rights, it is necessarily we as humans who reflect on them. The second argument is relational or narrative in nature. In order to understand an environmental challenge a narrative is necessary that makes the relationships between the parties involved clear to humans. Finally, the third argument relies on the distinction between moral agents and moral patients. The decision on how to deal with the elephant presupposes a responsible agent. The moral viability of this decision requires an ethic of fair burden-sharing among them.