(IN): Suparna Ganguly is now member Project Elephant Task Force

[Guest guest]

Dear all,

 

Please join me in congratulating Ms. Suparna Bakshi Ganguly, Trustee & Vice

President, Compassion Unlimited Plus Action(CUPA)Bangalore, Karnataka for

being made a member of the Task Force on Project Elephant for India.

 

Ms. Ganguly has been spearheading several movements for the welfare of

elephants both captive and wild which are abused in the many forms in the

country and abroad.

 

This decision of the Ministry to have her as member would go a long way in

securing the elephants of India 'hope'.

 

It may also be noted that Ms. Ganguly is one of the most vocal opponent of

'Elephant Polo' and has many a times taken on the Government agencies on her

own hitting them out for their failures to allow this sport to take place.

http://www.stopelephantpolo.com

Not once, not twice, but whenever has been a crisis in any nook or corner of

Independent India with regards to elephants- Ms. Ganguly took special

interest despite her regular assignments to ensure that the issue is dealt

with and sorted out.

I have on several occasions reached out to Ms. Ganguly and have never ever

been disappointed, in fact it is because of her that I have learnt so much

about the elephants and issues revolving around the elephants.

There are very few leaders in animal rights in India at the moment who

command respect and I can proudly say that Ms. Ganguly is one of them.

 

It was Ms. Ganguly's idea that we have a wonderful book by Ms. Rhea Ghosh

called *'God's in Chains*' that exposes the ugly truth about the worst forms

of abuse of the captive Indian Elephant which is also considered a 'God' in

this country.

 

May God bless Ms. Ganguly with all the strength to undertake the herculean

task of helping the lives of the jumbos now that she would be listened to by

the Ministry better.

 

Cheers !!

 

 

Azam Siddiqui

 

 

http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=57833

 

Task Force on Project Elephant Constituted

 

Recommendation for Effective Conservation and Management

 

A task force on Project Elephant has been constituted. It will provide

detailed recommendations to upgrade the project to bring about a more

effective conservation and management of wild as well as captive elephants

in India. This will give a fresh impetus to this Project. The Task Force

will submit its Report by the end of May 2010.

 

 

 

* *Terms of Reference of the Task Force are as follows:

 

* *

 

*For Wild Elephants:*

 

* *

 

· The Committee shall recommend measures to strengthen elephant

conservation in the country and keeping in view the Wildlife(Protection)

Act, 1972 suggest amendments needed, if found necessary.

 

· The Committee shall devise an institutional framework for Project

Elephant exploring and explaining the functioning of the same at the Centre

and State level with the objective of ensuring that it receives the same

impetus and is brought at par with Project Tiger.

 

· The Committee shall identify, catalogue and define the elephant

reserves and ranges at the landscape level. The Committee shall

simultaneously develop a framework for preparing long-term perspective plans

for elephant ranges.

 

· The Committee shall examine issues relating to human-elephant

conflict and recommend appropriate short-term and long-term solutions.

 

· The Committee shall recommend appropriate methodology for the

tracking, estimating and the monitoring of wild elephants. It shall also

recommend measures for specialised training of the field staff in the states

if requires.

 

· The Committee shall also explore any other issues that it may find

relevant to its charge.

 

 

 

*For Captive Elephants:*

 

* *

 

· The Committee shall, keeping in view the socio-cultural and

religious sentiments attached to the same, recommend future

strategies/guidelines for suitable human use of elephants;

 

· The Committee shall, with regard to the use of captive elephants,

recommend measures, guidelines and standards for:

 

o Training and certification of Mahouts

 

o Veterinarian care and Management guidelines

 

o Creation of rescue centres

 

o Monitoring of captive elephants

 

o

 

The Committee shall develop general and uniform rules for the

better upkeep and care of captive elephants and any matter in furtherance of

the same.

 

 

 

*Composition of the Task Force*

 

* *

 

*Name*

 

*Affiliation*

 

*Designation*

 

Dr. MaheshRangarajan

 

Professor, Deptt. Of History,Universityof Delhi and Expert, Forestry and

Wildlife history

 

 

 

Chairman

 

Mr. Ajay Desai

 

Member, Steering Committee, Project Elephant and Co-Chairman, IUCN

Specialist Group on Asian Elephant,Belgaum, Karnataka

 

 

 

Co-Chairman

 

Dr. R.Sukumar

 

Prof, Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISC Bangalore, Karnataka

 

 

 

Member

 

Dr.P.S.Easa

 

Member, Steering Committee, Project Elephant and former Head, KFRI,Trichur,

Kerala

 

 

 

Member

 

Mr. Vivek Menon

 

Executive Director, WTI, New Delhi

 

 

 

Member

 

Dr.S.Vincent

 

Member, Steering Committee, Project Elephant & Department of Advanced

Zoology, Loyola College Chennai, Tamil Nadu

 

 

 

Member

 

Ms.SuparnaGanguly

 

Trustee & Vice President, Compassion Unlimited Plus Action(CUPA)Bangalore,

Karnataka

 

 

 

Member

 

Dr.B.K.Talukdar

 

Secretary General, Aranyak and Member NBWL, Guwahati, Assam

 

 

 

Member

 

Mr.BrijendraSingh

 

Member, NBWL and National Conservation Tiger Authority, New Delhi

 

 

 

Member

 

Dr.SushantChowdhary

 

 

 

Scientist, WII, Dehradun

 

Member

 

Mr.A.N.Prasad

 

IGF & Director, Project Elephant

 

Member Secretary

 

 

 

 

 

***************

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http://www.stopelephantpolo.com

http://www.freewebs.com/azamsiddiqui