In a significant setback to elephant conservation efforts in the country, the Kerala state government recently gave the green signal for the commercial use of captive elephants. The controversial proposal requesting for permission to let out captive elephants for hire was put forward by the Chief Conservator of Forests in the Department of Forests in Kerala.
Earlier, only captive elephants in the Kodanadu forest range were available for commercial hire. However, following the order extending the permission to offer all captive elephants in the state for hire, the public can now hire elephants which live in various forest camps including Arienkavu, Mutthanga, Konni, and Kottur at the stipulated rate of Rs. 12,000 per day.
The state government order sanctioning this shocking proposal further mentions that those who wish to hire the elephants will be required to observe the rules and conditions mentioned under the Kerala Captive Elephants and Management Rules 2012 only during off seasons.
Captive and Exploited
The demand for elephants to adorn temple festivals, parades, and tourism related functions has sharply risen following the ban on sourcing elephants for other states. Many elephant owners in the state make maximum use of this high market demand and force the elephants to work for more than 12-13 hours a day and for over 8-10 months a year.
“An elephant owner earns anywhere between Rs. 50,000 and Rs. 1 lakh per day, so a healthy adult elephant is normally forced to take part in about 200 ezhunellippu (temple parades) a year. The owners are literally killing the golden goose by overworking their elephants day and night,” says V. K. Venkatachalam, Secretary of Elephant Lovers’ Association.
According to wildlife experts, elephant owners also often turn a blind eye to the Kerala Captive Elephants and Management Rules and make the elephants participate in processions in excess of the permitted time of three hours a day. Moreover, they often make their elephants work continuously for long periods, although the rules clearly state that if an elephant is made to work during the day, then it should be allowed to rest during the night.
“The rules also stipulate that not more than three elephants should be kept in a compound, and that they should not be made to walk more than 20 km in a single day. However, these rules are often violated,” added Venkatachalam.
Alarming Rise in Deaths
An alarming number of 269 captive elephants lost their lives in the last three years, a majority of which were below the age of 40. This year has already seen the death of 20 captive elephants so far. According to veterinary doctors in the forest department, the post mortem reports of these dead elephants reveal that a majority of these captive elephants died due to impaction, a medical condition in which the animal suffers from a blockage in the digestive tract.
“Dietary changes, long working hours, and dehydration are some of the main causes for impaction,” informed a senior veterinary doctor with the forest department. “We have found many elephants in a dehydrated state and quite a few of these elephants had been left unattended for many weeks without adequate rest between festivals,” he added.
In a country where the Elephant God is worshipped and the jumbo has been lifted to the status of National Heritage animal, it is distressing to see the captive population still being treated like a bonded labourer.
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Image via cc/Flickr by Mckay Savage
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