BENGALURU : With the Karnataka forest department deciding to operate to restart wild elephant capture after a month-long gap, experts and activists are demanding that it be stalled. The Centre for Research on Animal Rights (CRAR) and the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) demanded that the state government immediately stop the capture of wild elephants and put in place a comprehensive plan of action to mitigate human-elephant conflict.
“Capture of elephants from the wild is an egregious exercise of the power embedded in Section 11 of the Wildlife Protection Amendment Act, which is leading to the death of elephants, and must be stopped at once,” said Alok Hisarwala, lawyer-activist and founder of CRAR.
Capture as a solution to human-elephant conflict is unscientific, ineffective and has led to the death of wild elephants. Numerous scientific studies have demonstrated that capture and relocation do not work as a strategy. Elephants always return to their home range.
“The use of capture is more a sensationalist smokescreen to appease the general public, and in effect, does not ensure peaceful coexistence. Commercial encroachment of forest lands, especially elephant corridors, is the main driver of human-elephant conflict. Elephant reserves must be recognised as legally protected areas, like tiger reserves. Even after 10 years since the 2013 High Court order, the government has failed to declare notified forest areas within elephant corridors as reserve forests under Section 17 of the Karnataka Forest Act,” said Bharati Ramachandran, CEO, of FIAPO.
“We also need to undo the damage caused by unrestricted encroachments by removing them from critical elephant corridors and habitats. This can only be achieved through strong political will to ensure protection of elephants and humans,” Bharati added. They demanded that guidelines be framed to regulate power under Section 11 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 2022.