KOCHI: Even as the captive elephants live in dismal conditions here, more are being smuggled into the state from faraway places like Assam. But the authorities turn a blind eye.
Animal rights campaigners said an elephant brought from Assam on Thursday was kept in a private plot near Mulangunnathukavu Railway Station in the Pattikkad range of the Thrissur forest division.
“This elephant was brought without obtaining prior permission from the chief wildlife warden. It is a case of unauthorised transfer of elephant from other states,” Thrissur-based Heritage Animal Task Force secretary V. K. Venkitachalam said.
“I had given complaints to the offices of the Thrissur divisional social forestry assistant conservator responsible for checking smuggling and ill-treatment of captive elephants. But that office did nothing to confiscate the elephant”.
He said Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh allowed entry of elephants from Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam and some of them make their way into Kerala.
“Until June 12, 2015, 384 captive elephants remained in private hands in the state without having any mandatory ownership certificates. The number has since increased,” he said.
Meanwhile, yet another captive elephant of Guruvayur Devaswom died of alleged torture and neglect Friday night aged 60.
Krishnan was suffering from an internal injury for past two months, and it collapsed on Thursday.
“One of its legs had a swelling due to internal injury that is the result of torture by mahouts using banned weapons like iron poles,” Mr Venkatachalam said.
“This is the second elephant to die at the Guruvayoor elephant camp in a period of 33 days. Now the total number of elephant deaths due to torture in 2015 has gone up to six - four in Thrissur and two in Thiruvananthapuram.”
