Principal Chief Conservator for Forest cum Chief Wildlife Warden of Jharkhand LR Singh said that the green signal from the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate change has made possible the transfer of six elephants native of Andaman & Nicobar Islands to the State.
The officials said that a letter to this effect has come to him from DIG Forest Wild Life division in the Ministry SP Vashisth. “The DIG has asked the managing director of Andaman & Nicobar Islands Forest Plantation Development Corporation Limited (ANIFPDCL) and Chief Wild Life Warden of Andaman & Nicobar to transfer six elephants to Jharkhand,” he said.
The elephants will be shipped to Kolkata first from Andaman & Nicobar and resting for couple of days, the fleet will proceed on its journey to Jharkhand. The DIG has made it sure that forest officer not below the rank of a DFO from Jharkhand would accompany the elephants during the translocation along with a veterinary doctor.
LR Singh said that long back Jharkhand Government had approached Andaman & Nicobar Government seeking the elephants that are in spare with them. “We kept waiting and waiting. When we saw that our exigency for elephant is too high we approached Karnataka Government for three female elephants and this Government paved the way for transfer of three female elephants along with one male calf too. However on November 27, I got a letter from DIG SP Vashisth which read that Andaman & Nicobar Government is to send elephants to Jharkhand.”
Asked what will now be done as Karnataka and Andaman & Nicobar both are ready with elephants, LR Singh said Jharkhand would accept elephants from both the States. “I must first find out the fund position. What expenses will it be for shipping and bringing in these elephants from Andaman & Nicobar and Karnataka?”
Jharkhand, along with Bihar and West Bengal had approached the Island Government for the 20 elephants in spare there.
As for Karnataka delivery of three female elephants along with one male calf, the final nod is yet to come from the Center, but for the Andaman & Nicobar Island, the formalities are over.
Jumbos from the Island are christened as Renu, Appu, Balwant, Gautam Bahadur, Dilip Bahadur and Van Rani