Three of Delhi’s domestic elephants shifted to Gujarat
NEW DELHI: After a long-drawn legal battle, three of Delhi’s seven domestic elephants were sent to a trust in Gujarat by their owners last month. The owners of the other three have decided to shift to Uttar Pradesh soon.
The only one that would be left behind is ‘Laxmi’, a 46-year-old female elephant owned by Vivek Chand Burman, chairman emeritus, Dabur India Ltd.
“We have sent our two elephants to a trust in Gujarat. They would stay there till we can find a place outside Delhi where we can shift them permanently. The Delhi forest department didn’t allow us to keep them in Delhi. There are other elephants too,” said Rafiq Ahmad, a resident of Sangam Vihar in Wazirabad, who owned two elephants.
Another elephant that belonged to Yusuf Ali, also a resident of Wazirabad, was sent to the same trust. The owners didn’t share the name of the trust.
“There are at least two such trusts in Gujarat that maintain elephants with permission from the state forest department. The animals are taken out during religious yatras,” said A K Saxena, principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife) of Gujarat.
The owners of two other elephants said they would be shifted to Baghpat in UP. A spot has been identified and Delhi forest department officials inspected it. The sixth would be shifted to Farukhnagar in UP.
“We have identified a spot at Baghpat. It is a mango orchard surrounded by agricultural fields on at least two sides. It can accommodate at least two elephants. We built a shed and a water tank for them to take rest and bathe,” said Mehboob Ali, who owns the two elephants.
A five-member team comprising officials from the Delhi forest department and Central Zoo Authority visited the spot earlier this year and found it ‘suitable’ to accommodate two elephants. A report was submitted to the Delhi High Court. The owners are now awaiting a nod from the UP forest department.
“The location, animal shelter and water tank was found to be satisfactory. The committee has, however, asked the owners to change the roof of the shed. The roof is made of asbestos. We asked them to use cooling materials such as gunny bags, grass or palm tree leaves. The structural stability of the shed and the water should be tested,” said an officer of the forest department who was in the inspection team.
It all started in 2016 when a committee comprising wildlife officials had recommended that all the elephants should be confiscated as their health was poor and they were kept in bad conditions. The owners moved court challenging the committee’s report, leading to a long legal battle.