The chief of the Kerala forest department has ordered an investigation into all incidents of death of wild elephants in the forests of the State in the past two years. As per the department’s estimates, 72 elephants had died in the State’s forests in the past two years and almost all of these deaths had been described as due to ‘natural’ causes by officials despite strong evidences of incidents of poaching for ivory.
The order for investigation has been issued in the context of the alarming increase in the number of wild elephant deaths in recent times. The department has received credible information and statements - mostly from poachers and witnesses - that poachers were behind many of these deaths.
It is now being suspected that the forest officials themselves could have put even unnatural deaths of wild elephants, including those due to poaching, in the State’s jungles in the category of natural deaths in order to spare themselves the trouble of going through registration of cases and investigations.
A probe is already on into cases of elephant-poaching and several persons have been arrested in this connection. This probe had started after the department learned from a former forest watcher, who had acted as cook for a poachers’ team, that a minimum of 28 tuskers could have fallen victim to poachers’ guns in the jungles of central Kerala in the past ten months.
“As per the information we now have, elephants - most of them tuskers - have been dying at a rate of one every ten days in the Kerala forests. This is an unacceptable figure by any standards, especially considering the richness of our jungles. The theory that all these deaths had occurred naturally is laughable,” said a former senior forest official.
According to sources in the Forest and Wildlife Department, Forest guards used to come across carcasses of elephants during their routine inspections in the jungles and there was a tendency among them to term these deaths as natural in order to escape procedural complications. In most cases, the carcasses would be burned making investigation impossible, they say.
In the wake of reports on rampant poaching in the forests of central Kerala, it is alleged that the forest officials were eager to brand elephant deaths as natural not just to avoid procedural complications but also as part of conniving with poachers. It was surprising that officials never felt any suspicion when jumbo deaths were occurring at such an alarming rate, sources said.
As per the order of the forest department chief, the deaths of elephants should be reinvestigated by officials of the level of Chief Conservator or Conservator. It also says that the Intelligence wing of the forest department should also be part of the investigation. However, doubts are being raised about the efficacy of such a probe as crucial evidences could have already been lost.
The forest chief has ordered that whenever the death of an animal listed in the protected category is reported in future, it should be looked into by an official not below the rank of Conservator. Post-mortem procedures should be carried out only in the presence of such an officer and there should be photographic and video documentation of every related matter.
The Kerala Government is also being criticised for not showing the required concern on what is happening in the jungles. “It should be noted that Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has not so far shown any concern over the incidents of jumbo-poaching though he has enough time to discuss ways of combating the stray dog menace,” said a Kochi-based animal rights activist.