Activists Flag Transfer of Five Young Elephants from Assam to Tamil Nadu
Questioning the rationale behind the proposed transfers, PFCI founder Arun Prasanna said the circumstances surrounding the elephants raised questions about their ownership
CHENNAI: The proposed transfer of five young elephants from Assam to temples in Tamil Nadu, involving a journey of nearly 3,000 km, has come under sharp opposition from animal welfare organisations, which have sought an independent probe into their ownership, acquisition and transfer.
People for Cattle in India (PFCI) has claimed that the elephants — Rupsing, Shiva, Hiralal, Durga and Bijuli — are reportedly below eight years of age, with Durga only five years old. According to the organisation, Durga has already been moved from Assam and is on her way to Tamil Nadu.
Questioning the rationale behind the proposed transfers, PFCI founder Arun Prasanna said the circumstances surrounding the elephants raised questions about their ownership and the manner in which they were being transferred to temples. “When individuals claim that they do not have the financial capacity to maintain these elephants, it is extremely difficult to understand why the solution is to transport them nearly 3,000 kilometres to temples in Tamil Nadu. And when an elephant said to be privately owned is being moved from a government sanctuary, rather than from the alleged owner’s premises, that raises an even more serious question about the actual ownership and custody of that elephant,” he said.
PFCI has particularly questioned the circumstances surrounding Durga’s movement. The organisation said that if she was genuinely privately owned, the authorities should explain why she was moved from the Manas National Park area and whether the alleged owner’s custody and ownership records had been verified.
“We are not making an allegation that these five elephants have been illegally traded. But the circumstances are sufficiently unusual that the ownership records, acquisition history, permissions, intermediaries, transactions and complete money trail must be independently investigated,” Prasanna said.
Shurthi Vinodraj, former member of Tamil Nadu Animal Welfare Board (TNAWB), objected to the move of the government to bring elephants to Tamil Nadu from other states travelling thousands of kilometers and crossing many state borders. This is a clear violation of standing Supreme Court guidelines and rules. We don’t know who is giving instructions to flout rules. This has to be stopped immediately,'' she said.
P. Chokkalingam, chief executive officer, TNAWB, when contacted, said that they had not given any assent in bringing in these elephants. '''We came to know about the incident only through some Whatsapp complaints. Since these elephants are being transported crossing various state borders, they must have to get approval from the Animal Welfare Board of India. We will inquire into the incident and report to the government about the incident,'' he said.
Meanwhile, no official from Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR&CE) department was available for a comment.
