Karnataka requests Kerala to donate captive elephant to Mookambika temple
The Kerala Forest department is coming under increased pressure to donate or facilitate the transfer or donation of captive elephants to neighbouring States. Karnataka Chief
The Kerala Forest department is coming under increased pressure to donate or facilitate the transfer or donation of captive elephants to neighbouring States. Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Sivakumar has written to his Kerala counterpart V.D. Satheesan to facilitate “the donation of a female elephant from any willing temple in Kerala” for the Kollur Mookambika Temple, Udupi, Karnataka, to “participate in its traditional religious ceremonies and temple rituals.” Sivakumar has sought the help of Mr. Satheesan in facilitating the donation in “compliance with all applicable statutory provisions, rules” as he felt that the “noble gesture would further strengthen the centuries-old spiritual and cultural relationship” between the two States.
30 captive elephants Earlier, a request of the Telangana Chief Minister seeking camp elephants — those rescued and maintained in the camp facilities of the State — was turned down by the Kerala government, according to Forest officials. Kerala has around 30 captive elephants in the camps across the State including Kottoor, Dhoni, Malayattoor, and Konni. The captive elephant population of Kerala is estimated at 368 and annually 15 to 20 elephants die in the State. Incidentally, a request to present a tusker to a temple in Mavelikara by a person in Tripura was also declined by the Kerala authorities three years ago. A few middlemen specialised in sale of elephants had earlier informally sought ways to bring captive elephants from Assam and other States which have elephant population, sources indicated.
The interstate transfer of elephants can be permitted only in cases of those with ownership certificates issued before February 24, 2024, and its genetic profile being entered in the electronic monitoring application of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The Captive Elephant (Transfer or Transport) Rules, 2024, have laid out the process and conditions under which the transfer of elephants can be permitted within or outside a State, sources said. ‘Not part of mandate’ Moreover, the Chief Wildlife Warden of the donor State shall be satisfied that the present owner of the animal is no longer in a position to maintain it and it will have a “better upkeep than in the present circumstances” or if the official deems it fit and proper in the circumstances of the case for better upkeep of the elephant.
The BriefWire