Assam: Shipping of elephants in truck triggers outrage

-By Sivasish Thakur

Guwahati, May 5: The distressing image of an elephant shipped in a truck with its outstretched trunk hanging out has triggered sharp reaction from conservation circles in Assam and outside.

The image, which was captured on the national highway near Barpeta Road on May 2, is trending on social media.

The elephant happens to be just one of nearly a hundred that have been taken from Northeast India, especially Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, to the Mukesh Ambani-supported zoo-cum-rehabilitation centre at Jamnagar in Gujarat.

Manas Tiger Reserve authorities intercepted the vehicle but let it pass as "it had valid elephant transfer documents".

"We checked the vehicle after intercepting it. However, the vehicle which was coming from Tripura had valid elephant transfer documents and hence was allowed to go," a forest official said.

The incident drew sharp reaction from conservationists and netizens, who questioned the manner of transportation as also the very rationale behind such large-scale transfer of elephants from their natural habitats to an arid region which is not even a historical range of the elephants.

"It is unfortunate that the Government is going along with it. I will try to help however I can," said Heidi Riddle, vice chair (Elephant Wildlife Management and Conservation) at IUCN SSC Asian Elephant Specialist group.

Questioning the safety aspects, conservation activist Jayanta Kumar Das said that it was shocking that the animal was being made to travel several thousand kilometres under the sweltering heat and in a very dangerous manner in cramped vehicles.

"The elephant was stretching its trunk through an opening on the fortification of the truck. What if it touches a live power line or any other dangerous object?" he asked, adding that unabated transfer of elephants from the Northeast to Ambani's private zoo at Jamnagar continues despite protests.

Das further questioned the objective of rehabilitating the Northeast's elephants in Gujarat. "If at all they are serious about rehabilitating, they should set up a proper facility in the Northeast itself," he added.

Terming the transfer as a heinous act, Sangita Iyer, founding executive director and president of the Voice for Asian Elephants Society, said that if the Government of India approves the transfer, if the State forest authorities are hand in glove with this practice, and if local conservationists are unable to prevent these transfers, "I don't know what can prevent such heinous acts".

Diganta Borah, a netizen, voiced similar concerns as it was very easy for the elephant to touch some dangerous objects, including power lines.

Congress leader and former minister Pradyut Bordoloi termed the development as deeply concerning and said that it reflected the government's apathy towards the region's rich biodiversity. "Deeply concerning and reflects the current dispensation's apathy towards Assam's rich biodiversity," he said.

Habitat displacement is a major issue, as Gujarat is not even a part of the Asian elephants' natural range unlike the southern and eastern sectors, and there is not a single wild elephant in the State. "Norms are being tweaked to accord legitimacy to the transfers, which is shocking. It is absolutely unethical to treat these magnificent animals in this manner. First, they are being made to endure the ordeal of traversing a great distance by road in cramped trucks amid a heat wave. Secondly and even more importantly, the arid zones of Gujarat are far from ideal elephant habitats. It will be traumatic for the pachyderms to survive the harsh, dry conditions in Gujarat," said Kaziranga Wildlife Society secretary Mubina Akhtar.

Terming it as a clear case of habitat displacement and violation of wildlife protection laws, she added that it was simply unethical to relocate these long-ranging mega fauna - elephants - from the place of their natural occurrence to an unnatural terrain with very different climatic and geographic location.