Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Rules on elephant care get stricter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Directives have been issued to officials of Home, Forest and Revenue departments to enforce strictly the Kerala Captive Elephants (Management and Maintenance) Rules in view of loss of life and property by elephants running amok.

Festival committees should obtain certificates from veterinary doctors about the condition of elephants before parading them. Elephants should not be made to walk through surfaced roads for long without proper rest. They should not be transported more than 50 km by lorries. The certificate of Chief Wildlife Warden should be obtained for transport.

Two mahouts should accompany the elephants on the lorries. The elephants should be well-fed before taking them on vehicles. At night reflectors should be fitted on the elephants and mahouts should wear reflective jackets.

The details of elephants to be lined up at festivals should be communicated to the police, revenue and forest authorities three days before the festival. Their numbers should be restricted according to the availability of space. The mahouts should be in front of the elephants when they are paraded. Action would be taken if mahouts are found to be under the influence of liquor.

No medicine should be administered to the elephants without the advice of veterinary doctor. Elephants should be given adequate rest and chained at quiet places. The chains should not have nails .

An official release said the mahouts would be required to maintain movement register, vaccine register, food register and work register and should make them available for inspection. The festival committees should see to it that the elephants get enough food, water and rest.

A committee with the Divisional Forest Officer as convenor had been formed to oversee the enforcement of the Rules.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Shiv Sena drops plan for hartal from Monday
Price rise hits medicine trade
Secretariat association meet
CDS research input to aid policy making: Minister
Kodiyeri should quit, says Congress
Rules on elephant care get stricter
4,51,470 students to take SSLC exam
Awards for supervisors, child development project officers
Flying squads to help in effective policing
Van gutted; two escape unhurt
Women’s day celebrated
Traffic disruption
Thiruvananthapuram Today

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu