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Mahouts blame cops for non-use of reflectors

NEW DELHI, JAN. 10. Barely six months after the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) distributed reflectors to 30 elephant owners living here on the banks of the Yamuna under the ITO bridge, the mahouts are refusing to use them on their animals citing various reasons.

And while the WTI authorities assert that the mahouts have turned a blind eye to the safety of the animal, the elephant owners claim that it is the traffic cops who are dissuading them from using the reflectors by issuing challans to the mahouts.

In the past two years, the WTI rescue team attended to three cases involving elephants. One of the worst cases was reported in December 2002 when an elephant was hit by a speeding truck at dawn. The elephant was severely wounded and had to be killed as there was little scope for recovery. It was then that the WTI started working towards providing help to the mahouts to ensure that the elephants remain safe.

Disturbed over the lack of enthusiasm among the mahouts, the WTI director, Anirudh Mukherjee, said: "We provide free medical aid and assistance for the upkeep of the elephants and we have spoken to the mahouts about the under-use of reflectors provided to them. The reflectors were for the safety of the elephants and during foggy conditions the reflectors need to be put on the elephants for their protection. We have instructed the mahouts to put these reflectors on the animals or we would take away the help provided to them.''

Upset with the damp reception that these reflectors have received, the WTI has written to the Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) requesting the Department to extend help to implement the safety regulation.

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