Environmental activists write to President Murmu over transfer of elephants from NE

Guwahati, Jan 26: Citizens, including people working relentlessly for the conservation of nature and wildlife, observed a sit-in at the Chachal ground in the city on Saturday to register a protest against the frequent transfers of elephants from the northeastern states to Jamnagar in Gujarat.

They also sought the intervention of the President of India in stopping the transfer of elephants from the region.

Recently, some 20 elephants were sent from their natural habitats of Arunachal Pradesh to Jamnagar in Gujarat, an unnatural terrain for elephants. Although officials and organizations involved in the transportation show valid legal documents, the sight of a caravan with police escort transporting elephants created much anger and strong resentment among the masses. Most of the elephants sent to Jamnagar were healthy without in dire need of "rescue and rehabilitation" as claimed by parties facilitating the transfers.

"We take a lot of collective pride in the strides our country has made in the last 76 years in preserving our natural heritage and our heritage species. The Government of India's noble pursuit has been reflected in the two flagship programmes - Project Tiger and Project Elephant. The objectives of Project Elephant underscore the protection of the heritage species and their habitats, reduce human-animal conflict and promote the welfare of captive elephants. The proponents of Project Elephant by 'welfare of captive elephants' certainly in no manner meant to remove these long-ranging mega faunas from their places of natural occurrence to an unnatural location where they would be held captive life-long. This is simply unethical and extremely worrying," said conservationist Mubina Akhtar, who took part in the protest.

According to the Captive Elephant (Transfer or Transport) Rules, 2024, the transfer of captive elephants won't be permissible unless the genetic profile of the animal has been entered in the electronic monitoring application of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC). However, there has been no clarity from the Union ministry that has been maintaining the database.

"We are afraid the rules have been flouted as elephant transfers between states continued even without the genetic profile of the animal entered in the ministry's database," she said.

A memorandum signed by Moloy Baruah (Early Birds), Nitul Sibnath (Aranya Suraksha Samity), Raj Kumar Baishya (Chiriyakhana Surkasha Mancha), Apurba Ballav Goswami and Chandan Kumar Duarah (Kaziranga Wildlife Society), Niranta Gohain (Environmental Forum of Assam) and Mubina Akhtar, (former member of State Board for Wildlife, Assam) was sent to the President of India urging immediate intervention of the President to put a hold on such transfers from the north-eastern states immediately.

"We the undersigned, on behalf of millions of nature-loving people of the northeastern states, with extreme sadness would like to bring to your notice the plight of elephants the Heritage Animal of India being forced to leave their natural homes and take a journey of 3,000 kilometres in the name of rescue and rehabilitation," the memo said.

- By Staff Reporter