(IN): Pregnant elephant killed, mutilated in Sivasagar

[Guest guest]

Kind attention: Director Project Elephant

 

Shri. A.N. Prasad (Project Elephant)

Government of India

Ministry of Environment & Forests

Paryawaran Bhawan, CGO Complex

Lodi Road, NEW DELHI - 110 003 INDIA

E-Mail : gajendra

Phone # 91-11-24360549

Fax # 91-11-24360678

Sub: SOS for Elephants in Northeast India

 

Sir,

 

With a heavy heart and with possibly an extremely low hope of a miracle, I

sit down to send this SOS on behalf of the wild population of elephants

which are facing 'terrorism' of the worst kind out here in the jungles and

forests of Northeast India.

 

Sir, kindly refer to the news article that appeared in today's The

Telegraph:

Pregnant elephant killed, mutilated in Sivasagar

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090227/jsp/guwahati/story_10597850.jsp

 

It may be noted that this is not the first of its kind stray incident that

can be put aside as 'unfortunate'.

This is something that we all know is being happening and shall intensify in

the days to come.

Politicians claiming to 'WAGE A WAR' against elephants has gone on record.

There has been incidents of chasing wild herds spraying bullets from

sophisticated weapons by civilians, also on record.

See archive news links below:

Link: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080208/jsp/northeast/story_8875640.jsp

MLA teaches herd a lesson

- Marauding elephants chased back to Kaziranga after 'war'

 

There have been several incidents of elephant herds being provoked and

chased by people in Nagaland into Assam because of land dispute and other

political issues (Most of which has again been repeatedly reported in the

news media).

 

We all know that there are several Militant camps of several insurgent

outfits inside protected areas and elephant corridors. How safe are our

elephants inside is anybody's guess as civilians or even security personnel

are not allowed entry inside these camps. Reason being that they are on a

ceasefire, by having said that they carry sophisticated arms

and ammunitions.

 

We all are aware that many poachers arrested here in Assam have confessed to

have received their training and weapons from insurgent groups.

 

Sir, perhaps you are already aware of the issues I have brought to your

notice and also more such issues involving elephants in crisis.

But sir, as an animal person I am not aware of what steps the

'Project Elephant' has undertaken to address these issues and more.

 

 

With warm regards,

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Azam Siddiqui

 

Master Trainer in Animal Welfare

Animal Welfare Board of India

 

P.S: Please see the attached picture of the murder of the elephant scanned

from a newspaper.

 

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090227/jsp/guwahati/story_10597850.jsp

 

 

Pregnant elephant killed, mutilated in Sivasagar

OUR CORRESPONDENT

 

*Dibrugarh, Feb. 26:* Villagers living on the edge of Abhayapur reserve

forest in Sivasagar today woke up to the sight of a pregnant elephant lying

in a pool of blood, its tail, the tip of the trunk and right ear chopped off

and taken away.

 

Though poachers are the prime suspects, criminals from Nagaland — the

reserve forest shares a 20-km boundary with the state — could have also

killed the elephant for its meat.The gory sight of the elephant with its ear

hacked off and the rest of the trunk almost severed moved to tears even the

villagers who have been enraged by the rampages of a herd of elephants in

the area for the past few days. The slain elephant belonged to the same

herd.

 

The villagers said they heard two gunshots around 9 last night, but did not

venture out in the dark.

 

“Moreover, we thought there could be militants around. But when we came out

of our houses this morning, we saw this ghastly sight,” Lakhi Bhumij, who

was the first to spot the elephant carcass, said.

 

Lakhi was on her way to the forest in the morning when she saw the elephant

lying in a pool of blood that spilled out from a deep gash around its trunk

and neck.

 

“For some moments I was numb with shock. Then I screamed and ran towards our

house and woke up my husband (Narayan) and other villagers. It was a

horrifying scene,” she said.

 

Though the motive of the ruthless killing could not be ascertained, the

killers could not take away much off their “booty”, although they apparently

tried to as is evident from the wounds and the hacking of the entire trunk.

 

Subodh Talukdar, the ranger of Sonari, under which the forest reserve falls,

said over phone that a team of forest and police personnel and a magistrate

had gone to the spot for investigation.

 

“No bullet marks have been found on the animal till now. We are trying to

find out whether the elephant was shot dead or poisoned,” he added.

 

A villager said the herd, comprising about 30 to 35 elephants, had been

invading Janokipathar for the past three days in search of food.

 

“There has been no rain for a long period and generally there is an acute

shortage of fodder inside the forest during winter,” another villager said.

 

Many villagers of Janokipathar, which has 23 families, all from the ex-tea

community, paid their last respects to the elephant.

 

Sources said shortage of forest department personnel had encouraged poachers

and timber smugglers to operate in the reserve forest.

 

The Abhayapur reserve forest, spread over 6737.98 hectares, has three camps

at present — Lesai, Singlo and Kherbari, the last being 3km from

Janokipathar.

 

Lesai is located inside the reserve forest while Singlo and Kherbari are on

the periphery.

 

A section of armed personnel from the Assam Forest Protection Force is

posted at Kherbari. Lesai has three unarmed forest personnel and one platoon

of the Assam Police Battalion. Singlo has just four unarmed forest staff.

 

The forest department has abolished two camps, Godapani and Joymati, which

used to be located inside the reserve forest, because of shortage of

manpower.

 

 

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