CHENNAI: Two ailing female elephants — one in private custody and another in the elephant camp of Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) — will be shifted to the Elephant Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (ERRC) at MR Palayam in Trichy for better veterinary care.
Chief Wildlife Warden Shekhar Kumar Niraj has issued transit permit orders based on health inspection reports submitted by jurisdictional forest officials and veterinarians. The captive elephants, Indira and Rohini, are nursing multiple ailments. The elephants were allegedly ‘smuggled’ into TN for temple duties and ended up languishing in private custody.
While Indira is currently housed at the Animal Care Trust (ACT) at Rajapalayam in Virudhunagar, Rohini has been put up at the Kozhikamuthy elephant camp at Top Slip in ATR following an order from Madras High Court.
There is a controversy surrounding elephant Indira, which has reportedly taken the place of another elephant Lakshmi. As per official records, the then Chief Wildlife Warden had granted permission for transporting Lakshmi from Palani to ACT in June 2016. However, an inspection later on found that the animal at ACT had a different microchip number and not Lakshmi’s. Later, its identity was ascertained as Indira, a jumbo belonging to one K Mohanan from Kerala.
The whereabouts of elephant Lakshmi is not known. Health records say Indira is suffering from lumpiness due to foot rot in both hind limbs and unable to bear its weight. Shekhar Kumar Niraj told said Lakshmi was illegally replaced by Indira. “There has been violation of conditions stipulated in the ownership certificate,” he said.
Rohini too has a troubled past. The elephant was brought from Karnataka, and ended up with one S Mohammed Yusuf, who allegedly kept it with him without documentation. Rohini, who now has a cataract in one eye, will be operated at either ATR camp or MR Palayam, Niraj said.
Rehabilitation centre to have veterinarian
The ERRC at MR Palayam is expected to get an upgrade. The centre, which houses six jumbos and with another two expected to join, needs an in-house veterinarian. “We are planning to recruit the veterinarian and a consultant,” a top official said