Elephants translocated: Experts speak out

Sources claim that they had been living for the last three and a half years in a chain-free facility nestled inside a herbal forest, with nutritious food and veterinary care, until forest officials upset their recovery.

Following a Public Interest Litigation, the Madras High Court ordered all the three Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam elephants to newly-opened Trichy elephant rehabilitation and rescue centre. Authorities used force, heavy machinery and bull hooks allegedly to gain control over the jumbos before loading them on to the specially designed vehicles. The trauma and pain would have been minimised had the forest department took a couple of days to prepare the elephants mentally for transport. It was a gruelling ten-hour operation with a team of eight mahouts arriving from Topslip in Anamalai Tiger Reserve.

Two elephants were beaten with sticks and mahouts were seen holding bull hooks, which are traditionally used to control the behaviour of tough elephants by poking the sharp metal stick or hook in areas where elephants are extremely sensitive to touch like the feet, trunk, around the mouth or behind the ears. Forest department's uncharacteristic urgency in carrying out the operation, which traumatised the pachyderms, took everyone by surprise, feel elephant experts.

 "It was really unfortunate to see cruel behaviour from the forest officials. Treating the elephants mercilessly is not acceptable at all. Bull hooks are banned by the forest ministry of India. I understand it's an order, but they should have treated them in a more humane manner rather a rude approach," says Vinod Kumar, Former Assistant secretary of Animal Welfare Board of India.

The caretakers requested that they give them a week's time so that the elephants can be trained to get on to the trucks, without brute force. But the officials allegedly refused to budge, and resorted to hitting the youngest elephant with a bull hook.

Meet Ashar of PETA says, "Using of ankush or bull hook is  violation of wildlife protection act. Even injuring an animal comes under the act of hunting. The cruel act by the forest officials is unnecessary and the official has to be booked to shun the chaos in future."

"The elephants should be given proper exercise and diet to come out of obesity.

The elephants were reluctant due to the mental agony apart from the physical struggle, they need Veterinary care. Elephants should be standing on the mud instead of concrete floors," Ashar adds.