(IN): The Great Indian Elephant Cull

[Guest guest]

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culling

)

 

* " Culling** is the process of removing animals from a group based on

specific criteria. This is done in order to either reinforce certain

desirable characteristics or to remove certain undesirable characteristics

from the group. For livestock and wildlife, the process of culling usually

implies the killing of animals with undesirable characteristics. " *

 

If the above definition of 'Culling' is to be followed then I am afraid

'ELEPHANT CULLING' is already in full swing slowly but steadily all over

India.

Yes, one may argue that and brush it aside as 'stray incidents' of 'human

elephant conflict' or 'poaching' since the official announcement of

'Elephant Culling' has not been declared by the Indian Government.

But hang on, is the Indian Government taking any actions on the growing

incidents of 'brutal massacres' of the Jumbos?

On papers, Yes perhaps.

In reality a simple 'NO " .

They just do not have the 'WILLPOWER' to save/ protect this mammal from

being eliminated in this Country.

 

Political pressure from various corners seems to be only working in favour

of the 'Humans' here.

More and more people are pumped inside protected wildlife habitats to

convert jungles into paddy fields.

A Local MLA goes full blast spraying bullets from AK-47 on a wild herd in

Assam and goes on record in the media for what he does.

The same MLA is later arrested for flouting more wildlife laws only to be fished

out by his lawyers scratch free.

Same goes with the BIGGEST terrorist in Wildlife Crime, Sansar Chand who has

recently been granted BAIL by the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India.

Wonder what he is planning next?

Cement factories and Stone quarries are welcomed in many parts of the

Country inside protected areas and even elephant corridors.

Trains are crushing herds into pieces of meat. Yes meat because now its not

the animal carcass that the forest department recovers from the site of any

so called 'conflict death', instead there have been many reported incidents

of people feasting on the kill of the elephants after bringing it down.

In fact in a recent incident where an elephant accidental consumed 'urea'

and fell unconscious, a section of the public went on to cut its ear and

chop off its tail before the elephant regained conciousness.

High tension live electric cables are laid in a very organised manner and

this trend is ON for quite many years.

And in the Northeast of India you have another unique issue.

The issue of insurgency, militancy and terrorism which is driving the

Government nuts.

They are entering into dialogues after dialogues with these groups some of

whom are under a 'ceasefire' but with the condition of allowing them the

liberty to remain in the jungles till the talks are over.

Now, what they do inside the jungles is anybody's guess.

 

So the 1st BIG question that one may ask is that:

Is there space for elephants in India?

And the answer is NO.

Then in that case what should the Government do in order to protect the

citizens from the elephants, and cut down their population?

If the Government allowed the 'Culling' of elephants it will face an ARMY of

wildlife respecting people who will go all the way to oppose the same, also

considering the Wildlife Protection Act, it may not be easy to get that

done.

The next best and simple option is to just sit and watch.

 

Now the 2nd BIG question that I would ask is that:

Do we wait for the official word on 'Elephant Culling' from the Government's

mouth and we take action, or is it time to pick up the many 'stray

incidents' of elephant massacres and murders across the nation and DEMAND

ACTION NOW?

 

We certainly are not waiting for the last Tiger in the Wild to vanish before

the focus shifts into the Jumbos, or are we?

 

 

Azam Siddiqui

 

 

THE LATEST CULL:

 

 

Elephant electrocuted in Udalguri district, again

A STAFF REPORTER

 

 

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090930/jsp/northeast/story_11553827.jsp

 

*Guwahati, Sept. 29:* A pregnant elephant was electrocuted last night by

high voltage power lines laid by villagers to keep away elephants from their

paddy fields at number 2 Athgoria village in Assam’s Udalguri district,

close to the Indo-Bhutan border.

 

Villagers “hook” cables to overheard power lines and lay them in the paddy

fields to keep away elephant herds.

 

Poachers at Kaziranga National Park resort to a similar technique to nail

rhinos by laying cables connected to power lines on paths frequently used by

the animals.

 

Haladhar Kalita, the range officer of Nonoi forest range under Udalguri

forest division, said the pregnant elephant died after it came into contact

with wires connected to high voltage power lines running above. “The carcass

was found right in the middle of a paddy field,” he added.

 

This is the second such incident within a week in the area. On September 25,

a young tusker was electrocuted on a paddy field at Satghoria village, about

a kilometre from number 2 Athgoria. Three persons were arrested after the

forest department lodged a complaint at Panery police station.

 

The forest department personnel who arrived at the electrocution site this

morning had to face the wrath of the villagers who complained that the

former were not doing anything to protect the paddy fields from marauding

herds of wild elephants.

 

“The villagers, already angry following the arrest of three persons in

connection with the September 25 incident, were in an attacking mood when we

arrived at the incident site,” Kalita said.

 

The forest personnel had to take the help of police to reach the site of the

incident.

 

“We did not find the cables laid by the villagers which killed the elephant.

But preliminary investigations suggest that the elephant died of

electrocution,” Kalita said, adding that the cables may have been removed by

the villagers before the arrival of forest department personnel.

 

The divisional forest officer of Udalguri, Bankim Sharma, said a herd of

about 200 elephants, scattered in small groups, had descended from the

Bhutan hills about a month ago and had been straying into human habitat

frequently.

 

The Bhutan border is about 6km from the site of last night’s incident.

 

“We have formed anti-depredation committees so that villagers do not attack

elephants. We have also provided crackers to the villagers to scare away the

elephants,” Sharma said.

 

Man-elephant conflict has resulted in the death of five elephants and five

persons in Udalguri and Sonitpur recently, forcing the World Wide Fund for

Nature (WWF) to hold a series of awareness meetings in villages along the

Indo-Bhutan border in both the districts.

 

“Depleting forest cover and increase in human settlements have resulted in

an increase in such incidents. The elephants have nowhere to go,” a wildlife

expert engaged with the WWF (India) North Bank Landscape Programme said.

 

The site where the electrocution took place is on a regular migratory route

of elephant herds, which keep shuttling between Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh

via the Assam corridor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

--

http://www.stopelephantpolo.com

http://www.freewebs.com/azamsiddiqui

[Guest guest]

If our governments can come up with ridiculous schemes for our wild animals,

I will pray that something ridiculous like granting permission for elephants

to vote come into place. Because all that matters to anyone in power are

VOTES.

 

If that ever happened.... like the 'privileged' people who today get forest

land in return of votes, our elephants might also manage to get land for

themselves.....O wait a minute....what land are we talking about.....wasn't

it theirs to start with.....So rephrasing that.....the elephants could hope

to get back at least part of THEIR home.

 

We need more elephant people in the system and that is the ONLY way this

ticking time bomb can be stopped. Without a genuine interest from the

government, nothing....absolutely nothing will ever change. But like I

always say....we will keep trying in our capacity to do what ever little we

can for our lovely jumbos.

 

Thanks, Pablo.

 

On Wed, Sep 30, 2009 at 10:56 AM, azam24x7 <azam24x7 wrote:

 

> From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culling

> )

>

> * " Culling** is the process of removing animals from a group based on

> specific criteria. This is done in order to either reinforce certain

> desirable characteristics or to remove certain undesirable characteristics

> from the group. For livestock and wildlife, the process of culling usually

> implies the killing of animals with undesirable characteristics. " *

>

> If the above definition of 'Culling' is to be followed then I am afraid

> 'ELEPHANT CULLING' is already in full swing slowly but steadily all over

> India.

> Yes, one may argue that and brush it aside as 'stray incidents' of 'human

> elephant conflict' or 'poaching' since the official announcement of

> 'Elephant Culling' has not been declared by the Indian Government.

> But hang on, is the Indian Government taking any actions on the growing

> incidents of 'brutal massacres' of the Jumbos?

> On papers, Yes perhaps.

> In reality a simple 'NO " .

> They just do not have the 'WILLPOWER' to save/ protect this mammal from

> being eliminated in this Country.

>

> Political pressure from various corners seems to be only working in favour

> of the 'Humans' here.

> More and more people are pumped inside protected wildlife habitats to

> convert jungles into paddy fields.

> A Local MLA goes full blast spraying bullets from AK-47 on a wild herd in

> Assam and goes on record in the media for what he does.

> The same MLA is later arrested for flouting more wildlife laws only to be

> fished out by his lawyers scratch free.

> Same goes with the BIGGEST terrorist in Wildlife Crime, Sansar Chand who

> has

> recently been granted BAIL by the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India.

> Wonder what he is planning next?

> Cement factories and Stone quarries are welcomed in many parts of the

> Country inside protected areas and even elephant corridors.

> Trains are crushing herds into pieces of meat. Yes meat because now its not

> the animal carcass that the forest department recovers from the site of any

> so called 'conflict death', instead there have been many reported incidents

> of people feasting on the kill of the elephants after bringing it down.

> In fact in a recent incident where an elephant accidental consumed 'urea'

> and fell unconscious, a section of the public went on to cut its ear and

> chop off its tail before the elephant regained conciousness.

> High tension live electric cables are laid in a very organised manner and

> this trend is ON for quite many years.

> And in the Northeast of India you have another unique issue.

> The issue of insurgency, militancy and terrorism which is driving the

> Government nuts.

> They are entering into dialogues after dialogues with these groups some of

> whom are under a 'ceasefire' but with the condition of allowing them the

> liberty to remain in the jungles till the talks are over.

> Now, what they do inside the jungles is anybody's guess.

>

> So the 1st BIG question that one may ask is that:

> Is there space for elephants in India?

> And the answer is NO.

> Then in that case what should the Government do in order to protect the

> citizens from the elephants, and cut down their population?

> If the Government allowed the 'Culling' of elephants it will face an ARMY

> of

> wildlife respecting people who will go all the way to oppose the same, also

> considering the Wildlife Protection Act, it may not be easy to get that

> done.

> The next best and simple option is to just sit and watch.

>

> Now the 2nd BIG question that I would ask is that:

> Do we wait for the official word on 'Elephant Culling' from the

> Government's

> mouth and we take action, or is it time to pick up the many 'stray

> incidents' of elephant massacres and murders across the nation and DEMAND

> ACTION NOW?

>

> We certainly are not waiting for the last Tiger in the Wild to vanish

> before

> the focus shifts into the Jumbos, or are we?

>

>

> Azam Siddiqui