Zoo Elephants Will Be Free, But Will They Adjust?

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Zoo Elephants Will Be Free, But Will They

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: Jayashree Nandi, TNN 18 November 2009, 01:26am IST

 

BANGALORE: The Central Zoo Authority may have decided to relocate elephants

in all zoos across the country to give them more space in the wilderness.

But forest officials have an interesting problem on hand -- how will these

animals adjust to the new lifestyle in the wild?

 

" There are close to 20 elephants in two zoos -- Mysore zoo and Bannerghatta.

We will shift them as soon as we get orders from Delhi. The animals are used

to a certain lifestyle in the zoos. I am not sure how quickly they will

adapt to their new life in the open. They have to be fed regularly because

they are used to eating at regular hours in the zoo, " said additional

principal chief conservator of forests B K Singh. The Central Zoo Authority

has directed that they be shifted to forest department camps.

 

JUMBOS TO PACK UP

 

Local authorities will start preparing to relocate the elephants currently

in Mysore zoo and Bannerghatta Biological Park.

 

Last week, the Authority decided to shift all jumbos in the zoo to the wild,

and banned the use of elephants in circuses, following a public outcry over

the way the animals were treated. The elephants were bearing huge loads,

made to stand all day, are chained in temples and given very little space.

 

The picture in Bannerghatta Biological Park is a little better, though.

" Most of the time, our nine elephants are left open in 500 hectares of land

that we have. In the morning, they come around 10 am and stay in the

enclosure in the zoo till 3 pm or 4 pm. We give them a bath and food during

that time, " said director of Bannerghatta Biological Park, Milo Tago.

 

SORROW OF CAPTIVITY

 

There are 160 elephants in captivity in Karnataka, one of the leading states

in elephant population. " We released a study on captive elephants here, and

the kind of problems they suffer. In fact, there was a comparison of captive

elephants with wild elephants, which showed their suffering. However, we

need to see that they are relocated so they are able to adapt. Many could

have diseases, " said research officer of Asian Nature Conservation

Foundation, Surendra Verma.

 

" The condition of Bannerghatta zoo is much better than Mumbai and Delhi

zoos, where elephants are kept standing all day. Many people send us

complaints. We are happy that the Zoo Authority has finally decided to free

them. For circus and bonded elephants in temples, it's going to be difficult

because people will oppose it, after all, much money is involved. But the

government needs to be focused, " says Suparna Ganguly of Compassion

Unlimited Plus Action (CUPA).

 

HIGH RENTALS

 

Elephant brokers rent out the giant animals for large sums. For example, an

elephant for a temple for a month costs Rs 60,000. Elephants used to haul

timber -- which are made to travel from Kerala to Karnataka -- cost Rs 5,000

per day.

 

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