THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It has been more than 15 days since the deadline set by the forest department for elephant owners to construct shelters for captive elephants has expired.
Still, the merciless open sky is the only shelter for 50 of the 57 elephants in Guruva-yur’s Punnathur Kotta. 12 of the 21 elephants under the care of the Travancore Devaswom Board have not been granted proper shelter.
Six of the 12 elephants of Kochi Devaswom, too, are left in the lurch. All the five elephants under Malabar Devaswom Board are also kept in the open. Intriguingly, all these devaswoms amass crores as annual income.
The Heritage Animal Task Force had released a picture of an elephant, Achuthankutty, in Punna-thurkotta. The elephant did not have a shelter, and stood chained in a pool of its own waste.
“Seven elephants stand exposed to the elements in Thekkinkkad grounds in Thrissur, which is right opposite the Kochi Devasw-om office,” heritage animal task force secretary V.K Venktachalam said.
State animal welfare board member M.N. Jayachandran said that the forest department had done little to enforce its own circular issued on May 14 this year. The circular, issued by the chief wildlife warden, laid down the specifications of such a tethering place and setting a deadline of three months.
Any owner failing to provide housing within the deadline of three months would be fined Rs 25,000. Any delay after would lead to a a fine amounting to Rs 500 for each day for the first 15 days, Rs 1,000 per day for the next 15 days, Rs 2,000 per day for the next 15 days and Rs 4,000 per day for the following 15 days.
After this, a case will be registered. “I am not sure whether the DFOs have initiated action but we will soon verify whether owners have erected shelters,” said O.P. Kaler, the assistant principal conservator of forests (wildlife) who is in charge of captive elephants in the state.
“The Department has also insisted on a data book for elephants and details about shelter will have to be entered in this book too,” Mr Kaler said.
