10 more set to arrive from Arunachal: Elephant inmates at Jamnagar care centre to cross 150

The principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) and chief wildlife warden (CWLW) of Arunachal Pradesh, RK Singh, approved the transport of the elephants after getting a no-objection certificate (NOC) from his Gujarat counterpart Shyamal Tikadar.

“The chief wildlife warden of Arunachal Pradesh wrote to us about the applications submitted by private owners wanting to send their elephants to the facility in Jamnagar. Accordingly, we verified if the Jamnagar facility was willing to accept them… Having found the arrangements satisfactory, we granted permission, allowing the entry of the 10 Arunachal Pradesh elephants into Gujarat,” Tikadar told The Indian Express.

The RKTEWT, set up in 2013-’14, has been receiving elephants from across the country for their life-long care and upkeep. The RIL is also in the process of developing a mega private zoo near its refinery complex in Moti Khavdi village.

In a written reply to a query sent by The Indian Express, RKTEWT said that while RIL does not have any role in the day-to-day functioning of the Trust, the business conglomerate is providing the funding and allowing it to use RIL resources for taking care of the elephants.

“The Trust utilises about 500 acres of man-made Miyawaki forest, which helps in maintaining a lower temperature… the Trust has provided for each elephant a day shelter (with fans, overhead sprinkling and showering systems) and separate night shelter. Each shed is equipped with imported rubber flooring to keep their foot pad safe and comfortable. In addition, the Trust utilises about 100 acres of segregated waterbodies in the form of 10 small water bodies and 9 hydro-therapy pools. The Trust has provided for hydro-therapy pool as most of the Elephants are old and have arthritis,” a Trust spokesperson said.

The RKTEWT added that their elephants are not for the purpose of exhibition. “The Elephants at the Radhe Krishna Temple Elephant Welfare Trust are not a part of any zoo, circus, religious activity, entertainment or display. They are here to rest and have a happy life. We only do their seva and provide lifelong care,” the spokesperson said.
The Asian elephant enjoys the highest legal protection by virtue of it having been included in the Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and private individuals owning the pachyderms need to have proper facilities and take good care of them.

“These elephants are domesticated owned privately by individuals who were in the timber industry… these owners who, owing to a downtrend in the timber industry, found it difficult to feed, care for and tend to the medical needs of their elephants… therefore approached the Radhe Krishna Temple Elephant Welfare Trust, visited its facilities and requested the Trust to provide lifetime refuge to their elephants,” the spokesperson added.

Gujarat has no population of wild elephants even though organisations such as the Jagannath temple in Ahmedabad do own elephants. However, the Moti Khavdi facility is the only facility in the state to have 150 elephants at a single location.

The Trust has 12 fulltime veterinarians, 15 fulltime para-veterinarians and four Ayurvedic practitioners specialising in elephant care. It also has about 300 mahouts, 35 caretakers and trained staff to care for the elephants. It also has five consulting veterinarians from Thailand and one each from Spain and South Africa, and 12 biologists studying behaviour of elephants and helping reduce their stress.

Every elephant is provided 200 kilograms of fodder every day, including fruits and plant material as well feed-concentrate prepared by 10 cooks. The Trust also has established a state-of-the-art elephant hospital.

Soumitradas Gupta, the former additional director general (wildlife) in the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and presently a PCCF in West Bengal, said, “It is a unique facility and the largest of its kind in Asia if not in the world. Private owners are finding it difficult to maintain their elephants as maintaining and caring for them is a costly affair. It is good that we have a facility like the Radhe Krishna as these elephants have crossed certain age and may not be fit to be released into the wild.”