What would one do with an ailing captive elephant, which is critically injured or ill and cannot regain health? One cannot just leave it to die a painful death.
The draft Kerala Captive Elephants (Management and Maintenance) Rules, which is being given the finishing touches, is believed to have evolved an answer for such issues faced by owners of captive elephants. The draft rules, according to experts, have suggested euthanasia for critically ill elephants, a first-of-its-kind recommendation.
The Chief Wildlife Warden can order the animal to be put down, on a recommendation from an expert committee, which will have two expert veterinarians and representatives from the Society for Prevention of Cruelties to Animals and the State Animal Welfare Board, sources said.
The draft bill is being keenly awaited as it would define a new set of directives for the management of captive elephants in Kerala. Incidentally, the State has the maximum number of captive elephants, 507 by the latest count.
It was in 2012 that the State last tried its hand to modify the Kerala Captive Elephants (Management and Maintenance) Rules, for the proper “management and maintenance of elephants in captivity and to prevent their misuse, ill-treatment, and cruelty.”
Minister’s assurance
Recently, while replying to a question in the Assembly, Forest Minister K. Raju had announced the intentions of the State government to amend the rules in the wake of increasing instances of harassment of elephants. The new rules would ensure that the captive elephants are looked after well and given proper diet and rest. The amendments will also prescribe guidelines to be followed while the elephants are paraded for functions, he said.
The Forest Department has already started consultations with stakeholders to fine-tune the draft rules. The confinement zone, the area required for an adult elephant as suggested by the Central Zoo Authority, has been reportedly reduced in the draft rules.
Foot care, a must
Food and foot care, suggested P.O. Nameer, Head, Wildlife Division of the College of Forestry, Thrissur, are the two areas that require special attention in captive elephants’ case.
There should be a conceptual change regarding the food given to elephants. The animals should be given the food that caters to their biological needs and not the one that is convenient for the owner to provide, Mr. Nameer says.
The practice of checking the feet of the animal and disinfecting it, which is followed in many western countries, should be followed here too. The tethering of the animal should be reduced to the maximum possible extent and the elephants shall be allowed to move freely. They should also have access to drinking water round the clock, he suggested. While the draft rules highlight the need for foot care on a daily basis, no specific protocols have been suggested, sources said.
Mahouts matter
Mahouts are likely to get a new registration regime under the new rules. They have to get themselves registered with the department. A mahout in charge of an elephant shall not shift to another animal without the consent of the Forest Department. The new provision has been brought in to ensure that mahouts are not frequently shifted, which causes distress to animals, pointed out a senior functionary of the Forest Department.
The periodic health care of the animal would be made the responsibility of the animal’s owner, who will have to submit reports to the Forest Department.
Who’s the owner?
M.N. Jayachandran, member of the State Animal Welfare Board, suggested a change in the definition of the owner of elephant as prescribed in the rules. The rules define owner as a “person or a body corporate and includes a firm, board, trust or other association of individuals who owns/possesses an elephant.”
The owner of an elephant shall be redefined as a person who owns an elephant and possesses a valid ownership certificate. Currently, most of the elephant owners don’t have ownership certificates for their elephants. Making ownership certificate mandatory would help curb the illegal sale and of the animals, he pointed out.
Also, only qualified veterinarians who have registered themselves with the Veterinary Council of India shall be allowed to treat the animals, which will ensure that the animals would get modern medical care, he suggested.
On parading
V.K. Venkitachalam of Heritage Animal Task Force, an organisation campaigning for the welfare of elephants, suggested the animals shall be paraded only for a maximum of three hours a day.
No elephant should be paraded between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m, he said.