(IN): State bid to end ban on wild jumbo-trapping

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

 

This ban s'd not ever be lifted. And if the Assam Forest Deptt. really need

elephants for various odd jobs, they may import some from the forests of

Andamans as there are quite a few elephants still there sttaying jobless as

the Andaman admnistration has imposed ban on logging vide Supreme Court

orders. Recently MP Forest Deptt has taken four elephants from them.

 

Regards

 

Raja Chatterjee

On Fri, Aug 21, 2009 at 12:39 PM, azam24x7 <azam24x7 wrote:

 

> WE HAVE TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO ENSURE THAT THE BAN IS NOT LIFTED.

> The state and a section of those with vested interests involved are

> desperately lobbying with the authorities in the Centre to get this BAN

> lifted for quite sometime now.

>

> Azam

>

> State bid to end ban on wild jumbo-trapping

> Prabin Kalita, TNN 20 August 2009, 10:30pm IST

>

>

>

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/city/guwahati/State-bid-to-end-ban-on-wi\

ld-jumbo-trapping/articleshow/4916176.cms

>

> GUWAHATI: Assam has asked the Centre to lift a 1982 ban on mela �shikar�,

a

> traditional way of trapping wild jumbos with the help of domesticated

> elephants.

> " We want the Centre to withdraw the ban so that we can acquire wild

> elephants and domesticate them for government duties, " said state forest

> minister Rockybul Hussain on Thursday.

>

> The jumbos are needed for carrying guards and tourists in wildlife

> sanctuaries, transporting EVMs and polling officials to remote areas.

> Besides, trapping wild pachyderms will also help contain the man-elephant

> conflict that has so far claimed 23 lives this year. " We are seeking

> permission from the Centre to revive mela shikar, but have not received any

> response from Delhi yet, " Hussain added.

>

> The mela shikar' method involves noosing a wild elephant from the back of a

> trained tusker. The capture of wild pachyderms was banned in India in 1982

> after they were brought under the Schedule I species of the Wildlife

> Protection Act, 1972, which guarantees them highest protection. Prior to

> this, the Indian elephant was included in Schedule-II (Part I) of the Act

> under which they were granted the status of " Special Game " and could be

> killed or captured under licence as well as traded commercially.

>

> According to the 2008 census, there are 5,281 wild elephants in the state.

> In 2002, the census counted the population at 5,246. On the other hand,

> there are about 1,290 domesticated and trained elephants owned by

> individuals across the state. But, after the Supreme Court ban on timber

> felling in 1994, the jumbos employed for the purpose were rendered jobless.

> With no work, these elephants became more of a burden for their owners.

> Hence, many owners reportedly sold them off illegally to buyers in Bihar's

> Sonepur and the temples of South India.

>

> Project Elephant director A N Prasad said there were reports of

> domesticated

> elephants being taken out of the state on transit permits for a limited

> period of time. Hussain said many of these owners cannot take care of their

> elephants because of high costs of maintenance. " There is also an embargo

> on

> individuals selling their elephants. We want this ban to go, too, so that

> we

> can have more elephants at our disposal, " the forest minister signed off.