Following reports that the only six existing elephants in the national Capital are being maltreated, the Delhi Government’s Forest Department has issued show-cause notices to the mahouts holding the ownership licences of the pachyderms. They have been told to provide all the details regarding the food and accommodation they have been providing to their elephants. If the mahouts fail to give a satisfactory reply, Forest Department officials said, their ownership licence will be cancelled under the Wildlife Protection Act.
Besides, the department has also expressed serious concern about the way mahouts have been taking their elephants out on roads without providing prior information to the traffic police. As per law, it is mandatory for mahouts to provide prior information to the police before bringing elephants on roads as their movement could lead to massive traffic jams.
Sources in the Government said that the notices have been given to all six licensed owners seeking details of infrastructure for proper living and maintenance. “If they fail to give satisfactorily replies about what measures they had taken for the upkeep of these animals, their licences would be cancelled,” said the sources.
However, Zakir Ali (25), who belongs to a family that has kept elephants for generations, denied receving any notice from the Government. “Keeping elephants is our shauk and not a pesha. It is a costly affair to keep elephants in the national Capital because of strict wildlife rules and the costs involved,” said Ali who has two elephants known as Heera and laxmi, both 35-years-old. Abdul Rahim, who also owns one elephant, said that he would be the last generation of mahouts in Delhi. “Wages are low. There are dangers involved. It’s not a respected profession. But ours is a symbiotic relationship. We cut grass to feed them. We sleep under their shadow,” said Abdul Rahim, as he dusted his elephant with a piece of cloth.
The elephants in Delhi belong to individuals who traditionally use them to earn their living. The elephants face health hazards from walking on tar roads for long hours carrying heavy loads which lead to cracks and blisters on their foot pads.
In 2014, six pachyderms had gone missing under mysterious circumstances in Delhi, which forced the Forest Department to conduct census of these animals.
After census, it was found that there are only eight pachyderms left in Delhi. Out of eight, two had been deported to Gujarat in 2015. Presently there are six licensed pachyderms in the national Capital as per forest department record.
There were 24 elephants in the city till the year 2009. But their habitat near Thokar near ITO bridge got disturbed during the 2010 Commonwealth games. As the games village and millennium bus depot took shape, the elephants were thrown out to far flung Sangam Vihar colony in the Outer Delhi area. The pachyderms from their natural habitat of Delhi are being ‘deported’ in a phased manner to neighbouring States.