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Another tusker abandoned to death
Date: Nov 8, 2008 4:11 PM
Below pictures* speak the trauma and pain being
suffered by one tusker in Thodupuzha {Idukki District}
in the South Indian State of Kerala.
This working elephant which has already fetched in a couple of million rupees for
the keeper/owner is now almost abandoned with rotten infected hind legs and a weak
and wounded body.For the past 60 days the poor creature had no shelter or a roof over
his head .He could not lie down during the heavy Kerala monsoon as his legs were rotten
and swollen and chained to a nearby coconut tree in the rubber plantation. Two deep
wounds on both sides of his belly show extent of the sadistic methods employed by the
mahout as per the commands of his master. The owner assured us that an "expert elephant vet"
from Ernakulam district of the Kerala State Animal Husbandry Department is looking after the
elephant very well.
If proper medical and management care is not given the elephant is destined for a slow and painful death.
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Bombay Circus Elephants
recently in the news
Based on Veterinary Reports of the Mysore Zoo and technical report of CUPA & WRRC, The
Chief Wildlife Warden of Karnataka gave orders for the removal of these elephantsfor care
and treatment. Currently they are housed at the Bannerghatta Biological Park, looking blissfully
happy and making low rumbling contented sounds while munching on bamboo and ficus leaves !
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Shocking news of the CM of Karnataka donating an elephant, sourced
from questionable sources, for a life of torture as a temple elephant!
Elephant donation: case registered against two persons from Kerala
K.S. Sudhi
KOCHI: The Kerala Forest Department has registered a case against two persons in
connection with Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa's donation of an elephant
to a temple in Kannur district.
The case has been registered against B.R. Sasidharan from Kochi, who made the donation,
and M.P. Kuberan Namboodiri, Devaswom executive secretary of the Raja Rajeswari Temple,
Kannur, invoking provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act.
The Forest Range Officer, Taliparamba, who booked the case, has made Sasidharan as the first
accused for illegal possession of elephant, which has been included in Schedule 1 of the Act.
Mr. Yeddyurappa donated the nine-year-old elephant to the temple at Taliparamba on Wednesday.
The donation was made without obtaining mandatory clearance from the Chief Wildlife
Warden (CWW) of Kerala, making it an offence under the Act.
The elephant had undertaken a long journey, according to records available with the Forest
Department, from Assam to Bihar to enter the State through the Walayar check-post. The
ownership certificate of the elephant was issued by the Conservator of Forest of Eastern
Assam Circle, Jorhat, department sources said. Interestingly, Sasidharan donated the male
elephant, which he himself got as donation from Mukesh Kumar Dwivedi from Sonepur in Bihar,
according to records.
It was also revealed that Mr. Dwivedi had brought the male elephant to Kerala from Sonepur on
November 23, 2006 for a festival in Kerala.
Sasidharan had earlier written to forest officials indicating that he was taking the custody
and protection of the elephant, which was donated to him. He had also applied for a transfer
of ownership certificate of the elephant to his name.
Later, he again approached the CWW on October 8 seeking permission for donating the elephant to the Raja Rajeswari temple.
The request was forwarded to the Divisional Forest Officer, Kannur, who assigned the task of
inspecting the facilities at the temple to the range officer of Taliparamba on November 4.
The Karnataka Chief Minister donated the elephant on November 5 when the application was under the consideration of the DFO, Kannur.
Elephant donation kicks up a row
K.S. Sudhi
KOCHI: Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa's donation of an elephant to a temple in Kannur has kicked
up a controversy and the Kerala Forest Department has launched an investigation into the issue.
Mr. Yeddyurappa had gifted a nine-year-old elephant, Ganapati, to a temple at Taliparamba on
Wednesday. The Divisional Forest Officer, Kannur, has been asked to look into the issue
and submit a report to the Chief Wildlife Warden (CWW).
J.K. Tiwari, CWW of Kerala, said no permission had been sought from his office regarding the donation of the elephant.
Forest officials said prior permission of the CWW was required for donation of elephants. Only those elephants
with ownership certificates could be donated.
The government had issued an order in June 20 this year that only those captive elephants brought to the
State prior to August 18, 2007, could be sold, transferred or used in any other dealings.
The order was issued following a Kerala High Court directive.
For making any such transactions, prior permission of the CWW had to be obtained. On receiving an application,
the Divisional Forest Officer would be asked to verify the genuineness of the ownership
of the elephant and facilities for keeping it.
Only after complying with these procedures, one could donate or receive the elephant, the officials said.
Illegal transactions would invite a maximum imprisonment of up to seven years.
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