JOIN USThe Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) will hold a workshop in methods of elephant handling to mark the first anniversary of the arrival of rescued elephants on Friday.
The park will also welcome the arrival of elephant Sunder, who was rescued by People For Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) on June 6, 2014, from Jyotiba Temple in Maharashtra.
The pachyderm was beaten and chained at the temple. Margaret Whittaker, director of elephant programmes at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee and Gail Laule, co-founder of Active Environments, will be a part of the workshop.
The duo will share their experiences in handling pachyderms across Asia, Europe and South America. They will be also train veterinarians on the principal of modern yet humane handling of animals. They will train vets in “Protected- Contact” methods of elephant handling. Forest Department officials from Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra are expected to attend the event.
Apart from the workshop, the experts will spend a week with BBP staff and guide them on upkeep of elephants. BBP has a 49.5 hectare solar-electric fenced elephant enclosure where 15 elephants reside, including Sunder.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Manilal Valliyate, director of veterinary affairs, PETA said that PETA was willing to help at any sanctuary to house rescued animals.
The PETA team also lauded the efforts and management of BBP staff.
The event is being organised in coordination with PETA and Project Elephant, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
DH News Service