Chorus grows for release of elephant Kusha back into wilderness

Several animal rights activists, including MP Maneka Gandhi, have urged the Forest department officials to set free Kusha, an elephant that was recaptured on March 30. The elephant is housed at Dubare elephant camp in Karnataka's Kodagu district.

After his recapture, Kusha was kept in a kraal at Dubare elephant camp to treat a wound on its leg. However, a team sent by the Chief Wildlife Warden claimed that there were no wounds. The Chief Wildlife Warden intervened and ordered to release the elephant from the kraal, according to Maneka.

In a communication, Maneka said that the elephant was released, but with heavy short chains on his front legs, affecting his movement. She has urged the authorities concerned to remove the chain without any delay.

According to Dr Amardeep Singh, veterinary surgeon of People For Animals (PFA), Mysuru, who visited the camp, there was no wound and the elephant was in a good condition.

According to one of the activists, as Kusha is a wild jumbo, it cannot be denied its true home - the forest. The elephant has not killed any human being in the past and alienating him from the wilderness is an act of cruelty.

“To recapture Kusha and put him in a kraal after he escaped into the forest from the elephant camp a year ago does not make logical sense on the part of the Forest department. If the department is worried about him possibly attacking humans or raiding crops, he can be radio-collared and tracked. One more chance for freedom should be given to Kusha,” he felt.

According to the activists, the Forest department has radio-collared seven elephants to keep track of them, at Male Mahadeshwara Hills in Chamarajanagar division. Let Kusha be the eighth elephant, they said.

The 27-year-old elephant escaped from Dubare camp in 2019. All efforts by the mahouts and Forest Department officials to persuade Kusha to return failed, as he refused to obey their commands.

Separated from companion

Kusha had moved into the woods to find a companion. He has been forcefully separated from his mate. He has been shedding tears and trumpeting, said a staffer at the camp.