(IN)Ban on use of elephants in Bombay

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*http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=247884*

*Elephants banned, but no strategy *

*Nitya

Kaushik*<http://www.expressindia.com/about/feedback.html?mailto=samar@expressind\

ia.com>

 

*Mumbai, July 26:* The Forest department on Tuesday decided to ban elephants

on the city roads, 'confiscate' them from their owners and order the latter

to leave the city precincts with immediate effect. However, with no strategy

in place, no rescue or rehabilitation centres, and no sanctuary in the city

to send the animals to, the ban appears headed nowhere.

 

Shree Bhagwan, Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF), Thane division, says: " We

want to build rescue centres for elephants outside the city limits. But as

of now, one of the suggestions is to relocate the elephants along with their

owners to the outskirts of forests near Nashik and Shahpur. This way the

elephants won't be thrown into the wild suddenly, and the owners can also

have a livelihood, probably even take children on nature walks. "

 

[image: Advertisement] Colonel J C Khanna, secretary of Society for

Prevention of Cruelty to Animals(SPCA), however, is not impressed. " The main

problem is that the Forest department is sluggish and ineffective. "

 

Referring to the earlier plan to digitally tab elephants, which failed, he

said: " The plan was to microchip the elephants, make them legal and then

disallow any more entry into the city. The Sanjay Gandhi National Park

authorities as well as the SPCA were even ready to take over the job free of

cost. But we couldn't register the elephants and give licences, only the

wildlife authority could do that. The scheme never took off and to date only

one elephant is microchipped. "

 

He adds: " At present, there are 14 elephants in the city, all owned by five

to six families living in and around the central suburbs. "

 

Bhagwan, however, is positive about the new plan. " The idea is to keep the

animal away from the city roads and not victimise the owners. I have asked

my staff to request owners to leave the city limits, maybe even guide them

to do it. There, at least the elephants will be spared the harassment of

walking on tar roads amid traffic. Of course, if they aren't cooperative, we

will have to use force. "

 

With no plan in place as to where to send the animals, the police are just

arresting and releasing the owners on bail. On Wednesday, one owner was

arrested and released in Andheri after signing a statement that the elephant

will be taken out of the city.

 

" After the arrest, there was no one to control the elephant. So the police

had to release the owner after signing a written agreement, " says N G

Jayasimha, advocate for PETA says.