(IN) Fwd: Article from The Hindu

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For information & record where as in my opinion Mrs. Maneka Gandhi has

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Oct 18, 2007 8:15 AM

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Oct 18, 2007 8:14 AM

Article from The Hindu: Sent to you by M

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Source: The Hindu

(http://www.hinduonnet.com/2007/10/15/stories/2007101568150400.htm

)

 

Authorities give clean chit to Whitaker

 

Sharath S. Srivatsa

 

 

Maneka Gandhi had accused Whitaker of exporting king cobra venom

Permission for project on conservation of king cobra was withdrawn in April.

 

BANGALORE: Allegations of extraction and export of the venom of king cobras

against noted herpetologist Romulus Whitaker, levelled by the former Union

Minister and animal activist Maneka Gandhi, have been proved baseless in the

inquiry conducted by the Deputy Conservator of Forests, Shimoga Wildlife

Division.

According to reliable sources in the Forest Department, the officials did

not find any prima-facie evidence to prove that Mr. Whitaker and his

research group extracted venom in the Agumbe research station.

& #8220;Venom extraction and storage is a complex procedure that requires

certain equipment. During the inquiry, officials did not find anything that

could prove this, & #8221; the sources said.

Pending inquiry, the department had in April withdrawn permission for an

ambitious project by Mr. Whitaker on the conservation of the king cobra in

the rainforests of Agumbe in the Western Ghats.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) I.B. Srivastava told The

Hindu that he had received a report in this regard from the DCF during the

last week of August. & #8220;After studying the report, I have asked for some

clarifications from the DCF, and a final decision on the issue will be taken

shortly, & #8221; he added.

The report submitted by the DCF, it is learnt, suggests that Mr. Whitaker

should be allowed to continue his research after being issued a warning.

Forest Department sources said that Mr. Whittaker and his associates had

given live demonstrations of king cobras in a few educational institutions,

for which the departmental permission had not been obtained. & #8220;He (Mr.

Whitaker) has stated that the awareness programmes had been conducted

following a request from the Range Forest Officer. But we feel that he

should have sought permission from the higher authorities before he

conducted those demonstrations, & #8221; sources said.

Founder of the Snake Park and Crocodile Bank in Chennai, Mr. Whitaker

entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Karnataka Forest

Department this year for setting the king cobra telemetry project.

The five-year research project on the largest venomous snake of India was

initiated to study the king cobras & #8217; unique nesting behaviour, breeding

biology and conservation through telemetric tracking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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