Kerala - Kozhikode   

NGO seeks probe into delay in implanting microchips on elephants

Staff Reporter

KOZHIKODE: The Conservation of Nature Society, which has been campaigning for animal rights, has appealed to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests to enquire into the delay on the part of the State Department of Forest to implant microchips into captive elephants.

The Ministry had allotted funds for the purchase of microchips. Vinod Kumar Damodar, spokesman for the society, had been informed by the Chief Conservator of Forests (wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden of the State, in reply to a petition made under the Right to Information Act, that an amount of Rs.13.70 lakh had been allotted by the Ministry for purchase of microchips for elephants in captivity.

The Forest Department had purchased as many as 1,700 microchips. The Chief Wildlife Warden has also stated in his reply that the process of implanting the microchips was going on. The delay in implanting all microchips was "due to non-availability of captive elephants in a particular, convenient location."

Microchip implanting was to be resorted to as part of the initiatives being taken to end cruelty towards elephants.

Mr. Damodar has also sought an enquiry by the Ministry into the claim of a non governmental organisation (NGO) that it had completed a survey on captive elephants.

He said an enquiry was needed since the NGO had been allotted Government funds for the survey and the Forest Department had made it clear it had no knowledge that such a survey had been conducted.

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