Appreciating the fact that all (captive) elephants in the State have been rescued and undergoing rehabilitation, the Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Maneka Gandhi has written to Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat stating that Uttarakhand is the first State where elephants have been rescued from the bonds of private business and ‘ownership’. It will be recalled that following orders of the High Court of Uttarakhand, eight elephants held captive and abused in resorts around Corbett national park were rescued by the forest department and are currently being rehabilitated in their natural habitat.
In her letter to the Chief Minister, the Union Minister stated that she had also been informed that the eight cow elephants rescued from captivity are also being administered treatment as one of them is visually impaired while the others have wounds on their feet from walking on motor roads. She states, “Uttarakhand is the first State of the nation where action has been taken against the use of elephants in private business and elephants under ownership.
Moving further in this direction, if a rescue centre or the treatment and protection of elephants is established by you, it will be a historical contribution,” said the Union Minister.