The mysterious death of Maharaj, a wild tusker of Madukkarai in south western Tamil Nadu, early this week has shocked the entire wildlife lovers in the State. Maharaj, who was allegedly trespassing into the agricultural farms of Madukkarai, was tranquilised by a Government veterinary surgeon and trans-located to an elephant camp at Varagliyar in Anamalai Tiger Reserve on Sunday where it was found dead in a kraal on Tuesday.
Kraal is a specially built wooden enclosure meant for taming wild elephants. According to forest officials, Maharaj banged its head against the wooden structure of the kraal and it suffered fractures on its skull resulting in death. Vital organs of the tusker had been sent for forensic examination to a laboratory in Hyderabad.
Though the forest officials termed it a rogue elephant, residents in Madukkarai put posters of Maharaj all over the town mourning the jumbo. “It never was a rogue elephant as it was made out to be. Yes, it was a wild animal and had trespassed into areas of human activity. But that was expected in a place like Madukkarai which lies close to the forests of the Western Ghats,” said Girish, a Madukkarai resident.
Wildlife experts like Sadique Ali are of the view that Maharaj lost its life because of the callousness of forest department officials. “They are thoroughly untrained and unprofessional. The fact that the elephant died in the Kraal speaks volumes about the ignorance of the forest and wildlife officials,” Ali, a wildlife activist with more than a decade experience in conservation, told The Pioneer.
He said it is strange for an elephant to die in a Kraal, which should be like a house for the elephant. “The animal had enough space in the Kraal to bang its head with force. This means that the Kraal was not built as per specification,” said Ali.
During the last 18 months, this region in Tamil Nade saw three tigers being shot dead with the claim that they were man-eaters. “The tigers were shot dead because of the ignorance of the authorities of how to manage such animals. They were not man-eaters. When the animals venture out into the fringe regions of the forest, all hell break loose and we term them man-eaters. This is unacceptable,” said Ali.
Ali, who heads the Wildlife and Nature Conservation Trust in The Nilgiris, says it is possible to tranquilise and trans-locate wild animals to safer places. “But our Government wildlife officials lack expertise and planning. They are hesitant to learn from others who have knowledge on these issues,” he said.
Chinnie Krishna, vice-chairman, Animal Welfare Board of India, blamed the wild life officials for the death of Maharaj. “Even as we, the human beings, trespass into the forests, we blame the animals. This attitude itself needs to be changed. Forest officials alone are responsible for the death of Maharaj,” said Krishna.
Ali said the wildlife officials consider themselves to be above the law. “This is the root cause of all incidents where the animals get killed. We are ready to share with the officials our expertise and knowledge in the management of wildlife. Moreover the department is facing severe shortage of trained manpower and equipment,” said Ali.
Another wildlife activist, who did not want his name to be quoted said Tamil Nadu has become a very anti-wildlife State in spite of having a Chief Minister who is pro-active in wildlife issues.