BENGALURU: This Dasara festive season, the state forest department is facing a different kind of man-elephant conflict. The department has been receiving applications from multiple religious institutions and political offices requesting camp elephants for Dasara processions.
Apart from the usual requests to send elephants to Mysuru, Nanjangud, Srirangapatna and Shivamogga, the department has also received requests from Hubballi and Tumkuru.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, P.C. Rai, had sought details of elephants in Sakrebyle, Dubare and other camps to send them to Tumkuru for Dasara festivities and to Hubballi for Dasara and mutt celebrations in November.
However, the camp staff responded that the elephants are not trained for processions and festivities. The forest department conveyed the same to the state government and suggested using elephants housed in various mutts or robotic elephants donated by NGOs to mutts instead.
Officials explained that mutts and districts prefer forest department elephants as they are provided free of cost. If they hire elephants from other mutts or from neighbouring states like Kerala, the cost is more than Rs 2 lakh per day for each elephant. The forest department, however, is not paid when camp elephants are used for Dasara. The organising committees only cover expenses such as transport, food, accommodation and training of the elephants, mahouts and kawadis.
“Owing to government pressure, directions have been issued to send tuskers from Sakrebyle to Tumkuru for Dasara. The worry is that they are not trained in festivities. Three cow-elephants from other mutts are being arranged. We are not sending any elephants to Hubballi for any festivities,” said a senior forest department official, requesting anonymity.
Conservationists and officials pointed out that the government’s move violates the Karnataka High Court’s 2015 directions. In Writ Petition 4610/2013, the court had directed authorities to frame guidelines prohibiting the use of elephants in begging, performances or processions.
With state government approval and court clearance, the forest department has been annually sending 14–16 well-trained, hand-picked camp elephants for Mysuru Dasara. Some of these elephants also take part in Nanjangud and Srirangapatna celebrations after the Jumbo Savari. Additionally, three elephants from Sakrebyle camp are sent to Shivamogga for Dasara.
“But this year we have received directions from the Home Minister, Chief Minister and Forest Minister to send six camp elephants to Tumkuru and another six to Hubballi. Elephants sent to Mysuru undergo annual training and two months of preparation in Mysuru before the Jumbo Savari, to accustom them to large crowds, firecrackers, cannons, long walks and festivities. Sending a fresh set of elephants to other districts is challenging and risky. Though camp elephants obey mahouts’ commands, they are used to small gatherings. Large public events can make them vulnerable to untoward incidents. Politicians are not considering this. Camp elephants are rogues or conflict-prone animals captured and brought in. They are trained for forest work, camp duties and even elephant capture operations, but not for large-scale festive processions,” the official added.