Kerala - Kochi   

Micro-chips keep track of pachyderms

DIGITAL MARKER: Micro-chip being implanted on an elephant.

KOCHI: Kerala is home to 725 captive elephants, probably the highest figure in any of the States.

The near-exact figures of the captive elephant population of the State came out with the completion of the micro chipping of elephants.

The State Forest Department alone has micro-chipped 675 elephants, said V.S. Varghese, Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife).

Six elephants of the Travancore and Cochin Devawsom board and three others in musth have not been micro-chipped, E.K. Eswaran, the forest veterinary surgeon, who led the micro-chipping campaign in the State, said.

Moreover, there are nearly 50 other elephants that were brought to Kerala from other States. They might have got micro-chipped in the respective States before being taken to Kerala. Instructions have been issued to the officials of the Forest Department to collect the figures of the elephants that were brought from other States between 2004 and 2007, he said. Earlier, it was estimated that the number of captive elephants in the State was around 900.

The micro-chipping began in the State nearly two years ago with the support of Project Elephant.

A chip of the size of a rice grain is implanted under the skin of the animal behind its ear. Each chip will have a unique number that would serve as the identification tool for the animal.

A microchip reader will give the number and relevant details of the animal once it is brought near the chip.

Since the micro-chipping has been completed, the department will issue ownership certificates in all possible cases. The department should consider the option of releasing the captive elephants to near-wildlife conditions, as it is the only sukha chikalsa that can be given for the wild animal, said P.S. Easa, an elephant ecologist.

Criticising the s ukha chikitsa given to animals by feeding them with medical preparations and other feeds, Dr. Easa said that it would be ideal to free them with chains on their legs as done at Muthumalai, Tamil Nadu, some time ago.

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