Project Elephant begins in state,10 elephants ‘micro-chipped’

After a delay of nearly two years,‘Project Elephant’ of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest has started in the state with the State Wildlife Department inserting “microchips” beneath the skin of 10 captive elephants in Ludhiana. The idea behind the project,which aims at ‘micro-chipping’ every captive elephant in the country,is to check illegal sale of wild elephants by presenting them as captive elephants,as the sale of the latter is legal.

Dr Sandeep Jain,chief coordinator,Care for Animals and Protection for Environment (CAPE),India,the Bangalore-based organisation credited with mooting the idea,said,“A small chip is inserted behind the right ear of the elephant to make identification easier.” The microchip has a unique identification code,based on the the ownership certificate of the animal granted under the Wildlife Protection Act,1972. “In case of circus troupes that travel throughout the country,it has special significance as only micro-chipped elephants can perform at their shows,” said Mahavir Singh,District Forest Officer,Ludhiana.

Interestingly,the state wildlife department is unsure about the exact population of captive elephants in Punjab even as rough estimates peg the number at 17. With ten having been ‘micro-chipped’ on Thursday here,the project is expected to be completed very soon.

Chief Wildlife Warden,Punjab,R K Punia,veterinary specialist Dr Nirmaljit Singh,and P C Atalia,deputy director of Chhatbir zoo were among those present when the procedure was carried out.