Animal rights activist says negligence, torture and unscientific training methods take a toll on pachyderms

There seems to be no end to the woes of captive elephants in the State. Negligence, torture and unscientific training methods claimed the lives of 16 captive elephants in the State in the past eight months, V.K. Venkitachalam, secretary of the Thrissur-based Heritage Animal Task Force, has alleged.

The latest victim is 58-year-old Nandilath Arjun that was found dead in its waterlogged tethering ground near Kundannur in Thrissur district on August 14. The elephant looked skinny due to starvation and lack of care, alleged Mr. Venkitachalam. In a similar incident, elephant Mukkomban Ganapathy, 56, was found dead in its tethering place, also waterlogged, near the Neeleswaram church in the Kaladi-Malayattoor area on August 12. The animal rights activist said this elephant too was very weak due to starvation.

Mullathu Kailas, a 32-year-old elephant, died at Korattikkara in the district on August 2.

In waterlogged areas

In a letter to the Director, Project Elephant, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Mr. Venkitachalam said that all the 16 elephants were deprived of proper food and veterinary care.

Many of them were tethered in waterlogged places, he said.

An elephant named Aaralam Siva, 22, captured by Forest Department from Kannur district and kept at the Muthanga forest elephant camp, was found dead on July 28, inside its kraal with wounds all over its body.

Akkavila Kannan, 17, was found dead at its tethering place near Kodaly in Thrissur on January 25 with severe injuries on its body.

Thottekkattu Karthikeyan, aged 30, died on February 4 in Kottayam after its head hit the cabin of the lorry on which it was being transported, he said.

Mangalamkunnu Ganapathy, aged 69, was found dead at Sreekrishnapuram in Palakkad on May 24.

Elephant Thirupuraikkal Rajendran, 52, died at Vadakkanthara in Palakkad Town on May 19.

Other elephants

Mr. Venkitachalam said Cherpulassery Parthan (aged 42, died at Cherpulassery on May 7); Balussery Indira (46, died at Balussery on May 2); Sreevijayam Murukan (41, died in Kollam on April 24); Veenadu Vinayakan (32, died in Kollam Apil 10); Balaraman of Cochin Devaswom Board (68, found dead with wounds all over the body at Oorakathamma Thiruvady Temple in Thrissur on April 2); Priya (35, died in a tourism resort near Munnar on March 30); Kozhanchery Sankarankutty (50, died in Kollam on February 26); and Dhakshayani (89) of Travancore Devaswam Board that died in Thiruvananthapuram on January 6) were all kept in open spaces without proper shelter.

“All these 16 elephants were kept at open spaces without having a shelter by persons having no statutory ownership certificates issued by the Kerala Chief Wildlife Warden,” said Mr. Venkitachalam

According to the Kerala State Forest Department, there were 521 elephants in captivity in the State as per a census conducted by it as per the order of the Supreme Court on November 1, 2018. The Task Force urged the Director, Project Elephant, to constitute a high-level committee to conduct enquiry into the deaths of elephants and initiate penal action against persons responsible for the deaths.