Page 2 - Elephant

Captive elephant transfer rules 2024 leave gaps for misuse: Jairam Ramesh

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday wrote to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, expressing concern that the Captive Elephant (Transport or Transfer) Rules 2024 notified in March do not effectively prevent the wild capture and commercial trade of elephants. In his letter, Ramesh said the Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2022, allowed the non-commercial transfer of elephants for "any other purpose" but failed to clarify what this phrase means, leaving room for misuse. "This is no way to treat India's national heritage animal, declared thus in 2010," Ramesh wrote on X and urged Yadav to reconsider the Rules in light of these concerns and those raised by various animal welfare organisations. Ramesh reminded Yadav that during his speech on the Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2022, he had objected to the non-commercial transfer of elephants "for any other purpose". He said this was contrary to the recommendation of the Standing Committee that examined the Bill in

Kerala CM Vijayan to hold urgent meeting to review animal attacks: Minister

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has convened an urgent meeting on March 14 to discuss the issue of increasing occurrences of human-animal conflict in the state, Forest Minister AK Saseendran said on Wednesday. Saseendran said that wild animals, including elephants, cannot be stopped from coming out of the forests by only implementing the preventive measures being followed currently. "We also need to take steps to keep the animals inside the forests in tune with the changes in human settlements," he told reporters. The minister said that in the meeting to be held tomorrow, besides strengthening the preventive measures, he also expects that directions would be issued to explore ideas to ensure that wild animals stay inside forests. His statement came in response to reporters' queries about unconfirmed reports of elephants entering inhabited areas in Munnar area of Idukki district today morning. When asked about an elephant found in a weak condition in Athirappilly area of ...

Man-animal conflict: Bhupender Yadav calls for sympathetic, tech approach

Wayanad has witnessed several incidents of wild elephant attacks, including the recent death of a forest department watcher

Human-animal conflicts: Bhupendra Yadav to visit Wayanad to address issue

Days after Wayanad in Kerala witnessed violent protests over the death of three people in wild animal attacks, Union Minister for Environment and Forest Bhupendra Yadav on Wednesday said the situation is very grave there so he has called senior scientists from Wildlife Institute of India and will also be meeting the victims. A district-wide hartal call was given by all three major political fronts in Wayanad to protest against the increasing number of wild animal attacks in the region with the latest being on Friday where an eco-tourism guide of the Forest department was killed by a wild tusker near Kuruva island. "There is a conflict situation and I am going to Wayanad. We feel that the situation is very grave. So, I called senior scientists from WII (Wildlife Institute of India), state and Central officials. My officers have apprised me of the situation. I will go and meet the victims as well and we will take appropriate call," he told reporters at the Kempegowda International ...

First woman elephant mahout among 34 unsung heroes awarded Padma Shri

India's first woman elephant mahout Parbati Baruah famous as "Hasti Kanya", tribal environmentalist Chami Murmu, social worker Sangthankima who runs Mizoram's largest orphanage and plastic surgeon Prema Dhanraj who treats burn victims are among 34 "unsung heroes" awarded Padma Shri on Thursday. The list, issued on the eve of 75th Republic Day, also has organic farmer from South Andaman K Chellammal, international Mallakhamb coach Uday Vishwanath Deshpande, renowned microbiologist who pioneered development of India's inaugural Sickle Cell Anemia Control Program Yazdi Maneksha Italia, Longpi potter Machihan Sasa from Ukhrul who dedicated five decades to preserve this ancient Manipuri traditional pottery that traces its roots back to the Neolithic period (10,000 BC). The coveted civilian honour also went to Gaddam Sammaiah theatre artiste Chindu Yakshaganam (from Jangaon) performing this art form for over five decades in over 19,000 shows, Bhilwara's Behrupiya artiste Jankilal, third ..

Bomman, Bellie send 2 cr legal notice to Elephant Whisperers' director

In a legal notice issued by Bomman and Bellie, the mahout couple made famous by the Oscar-winning documentary The Elephant Whisperers', is seeking a goodwill gesture' of Rs 2 crore from filmmaker Kartiki Gonsalves. In the legal notice, a copy of which is PTI has obtained, it is stated that the couple were promised a proper house and an all-terrain multi-purpose vehicle and sufficient financial support as a one-time lump sum payment (without mentioning the amount) as compensation for their time, based on the income generated from the project. The legal notice also said that on the one hand, the couple were introduced as the real heroes" to the elite, celebrities, sports persons and political leaders, gaining wide publicity for them. But on the other hand, the filmmaker got all the financial benefits from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and the Prime Minister of India, the notice stated. When PTI reached out to Bomman, he said he was advised not to talk about the case anymore and asked us t

Now, an AI-based app to track elephants and alert villagers in Chhattisgarh

The system works in two parts. Firstly, Hathi Mitra Dal members use ODK (open data kit) app to feed the location of elephants, name of herd, behavior, and other attributes

PETA demands rehabilitation of elephants used for rides at Amber Fort

Animal welfare group PETA has requested state authorities to send two ailing elephants used for tourist rides at the iconic Amber Fort here for rehabilitation, the organisation said on Wednesday. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has submitted a plea to Rajasthan Chief Secretary Usha Sharma, demanding that the elephants named 'Gouri' and 'Malti' be sent to a rehabilitation centre on grounds of mental illness. Amber resident and shopkeeper Roopnarayan Koolwlal, who was attacked by Gouri, was also present in PETA's meeting held with the chief secretary and forest department officials on Tuesday. "These two elephants have attacked either humans or elephants due to frustration over being used for rides," Khushboo Gupta, director of Advocacy Projects, PETA India said. Gupta added that Malti was used for tourist rides at the Amber Fort despite having a history of running amok repeatedly and fighting with another elephant. "Tourists from all over the world are ...

Every living thing

The ecological messages in two recent poignant and thought-provoking films are unsettling and disturbing, but they also offer an alternative model to conservation

Protest in Kerala's Idukki over capture of rice eating tusker Arikomban

Protests broke out in several parts of this high range district on Thursday with locals taking to the roads and blocking traffic, aggrieved over the Kerala High Court's decision not to permit capture of 'Arikomban', a wild tusker, for the time being. The High Court had on Wednesday constituted a five-member expert committee to take a decision on what action should be taken with regard to Arikomban, so named as it raids ration shops and houses for rice. The panel has to communicate its decision to the court by April 5, till when capture of the elephant has been prohibited. The court only permitted tranquilising and radio collaring of the tusker if it forayed into inhabited areas despite the best efforts of the forest and wildlife personnel to deter it from doing so. Protesting against the court's decision, people of several panchayats of the district came out onto the roads and blocked traffic in some areas, according to TV visuals. The protesting public, including women and childr

Death whisperers: Elephant poaching for ivory remains unabated

Poachers kill 41 jumbos in 5 yrs; activists warn against India taking a softer stance on international ivory trade

Prez Murmu to launch festival in Assam to mark 30 years of Project Elephant

President Droupadi Murmu will inaugurate a two-day "Gaj Utsav" on April 7 in Assam's Kaziranga National Park to commemorate the successful completion of 30 years of Project Elephant and to give more impetus to conservation efforts, Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey on Friday. India launched Project Elephant in 1991-92 as a centrally-sponsored scheme to protect elephants, their habitat and corridors, prevent human-elephant conflict and to ensure the welfare of captive elephants in India. "The government has decided to celebrate 'Gaj Utsav' at Kaziranga National Park on April 7-8 to commemorate 30 years of Project Elephant. President Droupadi Murmu will inaugurate it on April 7," Choubey told reporters here. A first-of-its-kind event, the festival will see the participation of Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, forest ministers of all elephant range states, principal conservators of forests, chief wildlife wardens, representatives

Stalin honours elephant caretakers Belli, Bomman, presents them Rs 200,000

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday felicitated Bomman and Belli -- who had featured in the Oscar-winning documentary 'The Elephant Whisperers', here. The couple, caretakers of elephants at Mudumalai in the Nilgiris district, met the Chief Minister, days after the documentary bagged the Academy Award. Stalin presented each of them cheques of Rs 1 lakh, besides a shield and shawl to honour them, an official release said. 'The Elephant Whisperers', in its 39-minute runtime, depicts an unbreakable bond between two abandoned elephant calves Raghu and Amu and their caretakers, Bomman and Belli. It is produced by Guneet Monga and Achin Jain of Sikhya Entertainment. The release said the documentary showcased the Tamil Nadu forest department's functioning and the efforts towards elephant caretaking. The CM has announced Rs 1 lakh each to the 91 persons working in the two elephant camps in Tamil Nadu -- Mudumalai and Anaimalai, it added. He has also announced Rs 9.10 crore .

Elephant herd enters rubber estate in Kerala; resist drive to push them out

A herd of wild elephants ventured into a rubber estate in this high range district on Sunday and withstood repeated efforts of the forest authorities to chase them back into the forest. A senior forest official of the district said that the herd of eight pachyderms, including a calf, entered the estate at Peruvanthanam here early today. We reached the site at around 10 AM after being informed by the locals and since then we have been trying to chase the herd back into the forest, but to no avail, the official said. He said the herd was hiding deep inside the estate covered by dense foliage where it was difficult for the officials to go and therefore, it was proving difficult to chase away the wild elephants. A similar incident had occurred a week ago, the official said and added that back then the herd, believed to be the same one as now, had returned to the forest on its own. "This time too they may go back on their own. However, we are stationed here to keep track of their movem

Postmortem reveals tusk removed days after elephant's death in Coimbatore

After a postmortem examination was conducted, the forest officials on Sunday confirmed that the tusk of the dead elephant found in Coimbatore was removed days after its death.

Human price of shrinking forests: Odisha tops deaths inflicted by elephants

Odisha has reported the country's highest number of human casualties in elephant attacks during the past three years

HC asks Tamil Nadu govt to allow Assam team to inspect elephant Joymala

Earlier this week, the Assam government filed a petition in Guwahati High Court seeking the custody of Joyamala, a temple elephant that the state had given to Tamil Nadu on lease

HC directs Tamil Nadu govt to permit Assam delegation to inspect elephants

The Gauhati High Court on Friday directed the Tamil Nadu government to give permission and security to a delegation from Assam while inspecting the elephants taken from here to temples of the southern state. Justice Suman Shyam, hearing a petition filed by the Assam government, passed an interim order that permission should be granted to the delegation to inspect the elephants within three days after the court order is made available to them. The judge also directed the Tamil Nadu chief secretary and director general of police to provide necessary security to the Assam delegation while they go for the inspection. The People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) recently released a video alleging that an elephant named Joymala was being tortured and kept captive at the Andal temple in Srivalliputhur in Chennai. As the video went viral, the Assam government sent a team of four members, comprising elephant experts, forest and police officers to inspect the condition of the elephan

Wild elephant killed after being hit by goods train in Assam's Hojai

A wild elephant was killed after being hit by a goods train in Assam's Hojai district on Thursday evening.According to an official, the incident took place when the elephant tried to cross the railway track.Sabyasachi De, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of NF Railway told ANI that, the incident took place near Hawaipur in Hojai district at around 6.20 pm on Thursday when the elephant tried to cross the railway track."The elephant was hit by a cement-laden goods train. After getting dashed, the elephant fell down on the track," the NF Railway CPRO said.

World Elephant Day: History, Importance and Significance

World Elephant Day is celebrated across the world today. What are its history, importance, and significance globally? Read this article to know everything about World Elephant Day