G’chiroli MP, locals warn of stir against shifting elephants to Rel zoo

Nagpur: After the shifting of three elephants from Patanil in the Allapalli forest division, now it is the turn of Kamlapur. However, BJP MP from Gadchiroli Ashok Nete and local leaders on Sunday said any move to shift animals from the Kamlapur camp in the Sironcha division will be met with stiff resistance.
In the wee hours of Friday, forest officials with the help of a team from Reliance’s Radhe Krishna Elephant Welfare Trust, Jamnagar, Gujarat, shifted three elephants (2 males and 1 female) to the proposed zoo, which is being billed as the world’s largest zoo.
On May 11, PCCF (wildlife) office made it clear that 13 elephants from Maharashtra will be shifted to Gujarat. Of these, six elephants from Tadoba have already been shifted in May and three were shifted in the wee hours of September 2. Now, four elephants from Kamlapur are expected to be shifted soon.
Gadchiroli CF Kishore Mankar did not spell out plans on how and when these elephants will be shifted.
“The clandestine manner in which the Patanil elephants have been shifted smacks of some vested interests. The forest department spent crores of rupees on the upkeep of the elephants in Tadoba and Patanil over the years, but these animals were handed over to Reliance absolutely free,” alleged Datta Shirke of Jan Sangharsh Samiti.
“The department should have sought some funds from Reliance to mitigate man-animal conflict in Gadchiroli, where at least 15 people have died this year in tiger and leopard attacks. Otherwise, it should demand funds to relocate at least one or two villages from the core area of our tiger reserves or protect corridors,” said Shirke.
“We did not oppose the shifting of three elephants from Patanil, as I was told that two of the three elephants were more than 70 years old, there were no facilities, trained staff, and medical care to look after these elephants. But we will not allow any elephant to be shifted from Kamlapur. Any move to shift them will land forest officials in trouble. There is also opposition from the local people,” Nete told TOI.
Kamlapur sarpanch Shriniwas Pendam said, “Any move to shift even one elephant will be opposed. On December 30, 2021, the gram panchayat has unanimously passed a resolution against shifting these elephants. The elephant camp has become the identity of Kamlapur.”
In a release, several gram panchayat members have threatened to launch an agitation if Patanil-type shifting of Kamlapur elephants is undertaken. These elephants have become a source of direct and indirect employment to the local people, who are victims of insurgency.
“Instead of spending funds to develop facilities at Kamlapur and boost it as a tourist destination, the forest department is planning to wipe out the elephant camp,” said Vyankatesh Kadalwar and Rajnitai Madavi.