4 circus elephants freed from bonds of cruelty

Forest dept moves them to its rescue camp, promises better care

 It took the death of a female elephant for the Forest Department to finally wake up and rescue four other circus jumbos which were living in utter neglect in a now-defunct amusement park in Srirangapatna, Mandya district.

Chanchal, 63, had died of prolonged illness on November 18 after three days of lateral recumbency. It had arthritis and was severely malnourished. Following her death, animal welfare organisations urged the government to rehabilitate the other elephants before they suffered a similar fate.

On Friday, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Ravi Ralph ordered rehabilitating the animals. And on Saturday, a team of forest officials drew a mahazar and shifted the animals by trucks to the department’s elephant rescue and rehabilitation camp at Doddaharave in Mysuru district, Mandya Deputy Conservator of Forests Javed Mumtaz told Deccan Herald.

The elephants — Chaya, Rupa, Lakshmi and Kumari — belonged to the Kerala-based Gemini Circus and were brought to Fun Fort Recreation Centre on June 30 after the circus troupe owner abandoned them midway. The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and the Central Zoo Authority had him asked him for papers for transporting the animals, which he failed to show.

The entire operation to relocate the elephants was completed in four hours. The caretakers of the elephants, who are originally from Bihar, have also been sent to Doddaharave. “It’s important that the elephants are with their mahouts till they get used to other caretakers. They are in no position to take commands from anybody else. We will keep these caretakers for at least two to three months,” he added.

Mumtaz further said that the department had taken “suitable measures” to monitor the health of elephants which are aged between 40 and 59. While Rupa is suffering from prolapsed rectum, the other three are underweight and malnourished.

Surabhi Vasudeva Murthy, honorary wildlife warden, AWBI, who complained to the Srirangapatna Town police on November 19 accusing the Forest Department and Gemini circus of neglecting Chanchal’s health, which led to her death, said that help had come too “late”. Ralph, who is also the Chief Wildlife Warden, had submitted a report to the government stating that the animal organisations have been making “exaggerated claims” about the plight of elephants. Despite repeated attempts, he could not be reached for comment.