CHENNAI: An investigation has found that at least 19 elephants in Tamil Nadu, most of them in private custody, are without valid ownership certificates and are being exploited for commercial purposes. The probe is part of the State government’s efforts to limit the number of elephants in captivity. TNIE was reliably informed that the Tamil Nadu forest department is pursuing the issue with the Chief Wildlife Wardens of five States — Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Kerala and Uttarakhand — and has written to them to take the elephants back.
At least five requests on captive elephants from temples are pending before the office of the Tamil Nadu Chief Wildlife Warden, sources added. As per official statistics, there are currently 32 elephants being held in private custody and 31 in temples. The forest department has 64 captive elephants in its five camps.
There is enough evidence of elephants in private custody being used for begging and being physically abused for commercial gains in Tamil Nadu. The upkeep and living conditions of the animals in both private custody and in temples have come under scrutiny. Several petitions on this are pending before the Madras High Court. Elephants, whether wild or captive, are a Schedule 1 protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act and their commercial trade is banned. However, the illegal trade never stopped.
In this context, activists feared that the Wildlife Protection Act Amendment Bill, introduced in the winter session of Parliament, if passed will legitimise trade of live elephants. Deepak Nambiar of Elephas maximus Indicus Trust (EMIT) and a RTI activist, said, “The clause 27 of the amendment Bill is a volte face that proposes to permit the commercial trade of elephants. Legalising elephant trade for the first in decades is dangerous and inexplicably regressive.” Tamil Nadu and other southern States will become prime targets of illegal traders.
Meanwhile, to minimise the stress of elephants and prevent undue exploitation by owners, the State forest department has framed a new set of guidelines, which is effective from February 9.Chief Wildlife Warden Shekhar Kumar Niraj said the department received frequent requests for transit passes in which a lot of discrepancies are noticed. Henceforth, application will only be accepted from the elephant’s original owner and not from any third party.