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Probe ordered into death of elephant calf at Gobha

By staff Reporter - 15 Sep 2010 12:00 AM GMT

GUWAHATI, Oct 31 � The Forest Department on Thursday said that the three-year-old elephant calf that died at Gobha area in Morigaon on October 23 � attributed to a violent mob by a section of the media � aggravated its injuries when its movements were sought to be restrained by the people along with departmental staff, and subsequently died.

Briefing the media on the preliminary report of the inquiry committee, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), S Chand said that the animal was very weak from a deep wound on its body and that is why the team of veterinarians opted against tranquilizing it for treatment and applied local anaesthesia instead.

�But the animal became very restless following application of the sedative and started to run around nervously. The Forest officials present, in fact, engaged the local people to restrict its movement so that it does not enter the nearby waterhole where treatment would be impossible,� Chand said, adding that killing the elephant was never the intention of the people. Chand, however, admitted that things did not go as per the plan with some people getting excited. �Mob behaviour is never disciplined or predictable but I can say that killing was never the intention as the people were trying to restrain the elephant�s movement and capture it so that it could be saved,� he added.

Irrespective of the Forest Department�s version, the fact stands that the Forest Department�s handling of the situation was far from apt. Questions arise why it had to engage excited locals in �retraining� the elephant�s movement. One would have expected the department to go with adequate preparedness and handle the situation with some prudence.

Chand said that the department would wait till the final report which was to be submitted in a week, and any lapse or negligence on anybody�s part would be dealt with seriously. �A case has also been registered with the local police station. The negligence aspect is being investigated by the inquiry committee,� he said.

Meanwhile, Tulasi Bardoloi, president of Tiwa Sahitya Sabha and president of Autonomy Demand Struggling Forum, said that the people never tried to kill the elephant, and that they were engaged by the Forest Department to capture it for treatment.

�The Forest Department even supplied the rope for the purpose. The local people tried to capture the calf in presence of forest department officials and veterinary doctors who used tranquilizers to pacify the agitated animal. The local people in no way resorted to any sort of brutality but a section of the media has misinterpreted the incident,� Bardoloi said.