Guest guest Posted March 10, 2009 Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 India Express Buzz <http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/default.aspx> Tuesday, March 10, 2009 5:16 AM IST According to Wild life Protection Act 1972 & the Declaration of Wildlife Stock Rules 2003 elephants cannot be sold, exchanged or traded. No elephant can be given Ownership Certificate after April 14, 2003. Read the interview . What happened to the tusks of the 50+elephants buried in Mr.Alby's land? Who keeps them? A burial ground all for elephants Alby with his elephant Bolo Prasad. Express News Service <http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/searchresult.aspx?AliasName=qK1tLBLX%7CpILcz\ NiCZRSYEHJtp5ChTm2> First Published : 09 Mar 2009 12:35:00 AM IST Last Updated : 09 Mar 2009 02:52:13 PM IST KOCHI: For the last 27 years, elephants have been the most important part of Alby Joseph’s life. As his initiative to offer a burial ground for elephants keep bringing him accolades from far and wide, Alby is happy playing the guardian to Bolo Prasad and Appu at his plantation in Arakuzha, a small village on the banks of the Muvattupuzha river. “I bought Bolo Prasad from Bihar two years back. He is now 30 years old and Appu is 40,” says Alby as he strokes the trunk of the tusker, remembering Pattambi Narayanan, Asiad Appu, Paramekkavu Paremeswaran, Moolakulam Mohanan and Shenoy Sreenivasan.. Long back elephant lovers across the state were as familiar with these names as their own family members. Thousands of devotees and admirers thronged temple premises to watch these elephants carrying nettipattam and thidambu(idol) during festivals. After the death of these tuskers, no one bothered to remember them. But their memories reverberate throughout Arakuzha, thanks to Alby. In the last 20 years, more that 50 elephants were buried in Alby’s 15 acre rubber estate. The idea for the burial ground originated from the repeated request from elephant owners, says Alby. Many owners had to face the wrath of local residents when they tried to cremate elephants at their own property as people believed that the fat from the elephant’s body polluted nearby water sources. “It is absolutely wrong. An elephant’s fat content is less than that of a cow,” says Alby who is the organising secretary of the All Kerala Elephant Owners Federation. It was after the futile effort of burying elephants in forests that Alby started cremating them on his land.” The cooperation of my neighbours gave me confidence to start this unique concept,” he says. More than five elephants from Guruvayoor temple were cremated at Alby’s property. The cremation of an elephant is very expensive, says Alby. There should be a postmortem which needs an expert team. The postmortem is conducted only in the presence of Forest Department officials and veterinary doctors. Only the tusk of the elephant can be removed from the body, says Alby. *kochi* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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