The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : Implanting of microchips on domestic elephants begins

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Oct 09, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

Implanting of microchips on domestic elephants begins

Staff Reporter

It will help prevent manipulation of records and illegal trading of elephants

— Photo: By Special Arrangement

A JUMBO EFFORT: A microchip is being implanted on one of the domesticated temple elephants in Coimbatore on Monday.

COIMBATORE: The Forest Department on Monday started implanting microchips on domesticated elephants in temples and private holdings.

The concept, mooted by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, to provide the elephants with unique identification numbers will help prevent manipulation of records, and illegal trading of elephants and further domestication of wild animals.

The numbers will also help the authorities in periodical assessment of the status of the elephants, and evolving policies for the protection of domesticated elephants.

R. Kannan, Conservator of Forests, Coimbatore Circle, and I. Anwardeen, District Forest Officer, Coimbatore, had deputed a team of Forest Department employees, led by veterinarian N.S. Manoharan, to carry out this exercise.

These microchips, with registration numbers encased in glass shells, can be recognised by a reader to be carried by the officials.

The number ascertained by the reader can be tallied with the records available with the Forest Department.

The microchip, the size of a diameter of a rice grain, is made of an inert material, which is bio-compatible and will not have any effect on the health of the animal.

On Monday, the Forest Department authorities completed implanting of the microchip on two elephants — Lakshmi (4) of the Srinivasa Perumal temple and Kalyani (16) of the Patteeswarar-Pachainayagi Amman temple at Perur—by puncturing a small portion under the left ear of the animals.

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