Change in transfer rules ignites fears of spike in sale of captive elephants

March 20, 2024 07:09 pm | Updated 07:46 pm IST - KOCHI

Captive elephants from Assam and Bihar may be herded to Kerala in large numbers with the Union government providing a legal framework for the transfer and transport of elephants from within and outside the States.

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has brought out the Captive Elephant (Transfer or Transport) Rules, 2024 to facilitate the transfer and transport of elephants.

The rules state that the Chief Wildlife Warden (CWW) shall permit the inter and intra-State transfers if the owner of the elephant is no longer in a position to maintain it, or if the animal will have a better upkeep than in the present circumstances.

The CWW can also order the transfer for the “better upkeep of the elephant.”

The government order has come as a boon for the elephant owners of the State, who had been seeking permission for bringing in elephants from other States or capturing them from the wild as the number of captive elephants in Kerala had dwindled significantly.

The captive elephant population of Kerala had dwindled to an all-time low of 400. Interestingly, animal rights groups had been campaigning against the parading of elephants and supporting temple committees to use robotic elephants.

Conservationists’ fear

Animal conservationists, however, fear the rules may pave the way for the sale of animals under the pretext of transferring them. The sale of elephants is banned by law.

Jose Louies, the Chief of Enforcement of the Wildlife Trust of India, a conservation group, pointed out that rules, which was brought out to govern the transfer of elephants, has not defined the transfer of elephants.

The vaguely worded and misleading provisions on transfer may open doors for the illegal sale and transfer of ownership. The rules may thus facilitate the sale of elephants, which is illegal, said Mr. Louies.

The rules state that application for transfer shall be submitted to the Deputy Conservator of Forest, which is a watered down provision of the existing law. Earlier, such applications had to be submitted to the CWW, he pointed out.