JOIN US The Forest department has apparently turned a blind eye to the plight of more than three dozen captive elephants that are in the custody of various temples and religious institutions across the State.
Following complaints of ill-treatment of the captive jumbos, the Animal Welfare Board and the Ministry of Environment and Forests in 2011 directed CUPA (Compassion Unlimited Plus Action) to submit a report on the status of such jumbos. Accordingly, CUPA gave a report to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Karnataka, on the status of 37 elephants housed in religious institutions in the State.
The report said 13 of these elephants were used for begging purposes, 16 for blessing devotees in temples and five have been kept as institutional attractions. The report also named the elephants and the religious institutions using them for begging. It said the temple authorities were not aware of, or have any knowledge about of the biological, physical, social and veterinary requirements of these animals. Almost all the elephants were obese and suffered from foot-pad infections and social isolation.
However, till date, no action has been taken on the nearly three-year-old report. Sadly, as revealed by a recent RTI query, the Forest department has information only on 26 of these animals, but is clueless about their health conditions.
When contacted, Vinay Luthra, PCCF, told this newspaper that he was not aware of any such report. However, he said a general inspection was conducted once in five years when the ownership documents of the elephants were renewed. “We attend to the medical needs of elephants only when there is a complaint from the temple authorities or mahouts. There are no random checks on these animals,” he said.
A classic example of the Forest department’s ignorance of such elephants is the current plight of 31-year-old Gowri at the famous Srikanteshwara temple in Nanjangud. Gowri’s condition highlights how the health of a captive elephant deteriorates when it is away from its natural habitat. Gowri is suffering from an infection and has abscess in her tusks and is unable to sleep at night. In fact, Gowri’s health problems, including obesity due to excessive feeding of bananas and coconuts by devotees, were brought to the notice of her owners a decade ago.
Gowri’s mahout Pyarejaan told Deccan Herald that although her problem in the feet had subsided, she was not losing weight. She lives in a tin-roofed shed bound in chains, urinating and defecating in the same place. She draws water for the temple from the Kapila river every morning and is taken in a procession every month on the full moon day. An official of the temple, which comes under the Muzrai department, however, said the animal would be be allowed to retire, provided they received instructions from the authorities concerned.
Suparna Ganguly, president, CUPA, said the Forest department officials were least interested in the well-being of captive elephants. “Sale of elephants is thriving in the name of gift, donation, lease, licence, rental and exchange. The officials cleverly manipulate these terms. No sacred books say that an elephant has to be used for religious purposes.”