‘Lift ban on elephant-catching to curb man-jumbo conflict’
As per the MoEF data, at least 500 people and 100 elephants are killed every year due to man-elephant conflicts.
The rapidly rising graph of man-animal conflicts and consequent fatalities has not only left UP’s lone elephant catcher Kamaal Sheikh, but also wildlife experts and foresters, worried. Expressing concern over the scenario, they have said elephant-catching is the best possible way to curb the menace.
They have also approached the union ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEF) and demanded lifting of the ban on elephant catching, also known as ‘mela shikaar’ and ‘khedda’, a dying art.
“No doubt, we have excelled in saving elephants, as a result of which the elephant population in the country is set to cross the mark of 30,000 (according to MoEF).
But, having belonged to the generation of forest officers who has devoted his life to the protection of wildlife, I believe that now it’s time to think and re-think that are our forests ready to handle such a huge population of elephants.
I think it’s time to take some positive measures that can not only check the fast-increasing population of elephants, but will also minimise man-elephant conflicts,” says the letter by RS Bhadauria, a retired officer of the Indian Forest Services (IFS), to MoEF. Bhadauria is ex-principal chief conservator of forests and former chief wildlife warden, UP.
Bhadauria also says the wild elephant population in the country has crossed the threshold limit and, as a result, elephants often enter into human habitations in search of food, resulting in man-elephant conflicts.
As per the data recently
released by MoEF, at least 500 people and 100 elephants are killed every year due to man-elephant conflicts.
“Indeed, the figure is depressing. And this is for the same reason, I believe that the government should lift ban from elephant catching,” says Bhadauria, who has field experience of managing forests and wild life for over 35 years in the UP forest department.
For about 24 years, he has served as a volunteer forester post retirement in 1996.
Bhadauria says catching (elephants) is perhaps the sole solution to the problem. “Castration of such huge creatures is out of the question.
Hence, catching is the only possible way out to check elephant population in jungles. Once captured, the wild elephants should be tamed and put to different uses in various departments, similar to what the forest department does,” Bhadauria further suggested.
‘For managing the sustainable population in wild, elephants should not be shot as a measure of culling. But should be utilized by reverting back to former system of capture, training, taming and reopening private ownership, allowing riding in zoos, and also allowing its export abroad for zoos where there is great demand for Asian elephant, because it trains better and quicker than African elephant,” Bhadauria’s letter to the MoEF further reads.
UP’s lone elephant catcher Kamaal Sheikh, too, echoed similar views, saying lifting the ban on elephant catching (which was imposed in 1977 under Wildlife Protection Act 1972), will not only keep a check on the increasing population of elephants, but will also revive an over-3000year old art in India.
“I am sure, the government would give a thought to it, which in return would keep the population under control and revive the dying art of Mela Shikaar,” says Kamaal Sheikh, who is well versed with the rare art of elephant catching.
Mahendra Singh, who headed UP’s last elephant catching operation in UP in 1977, says, “I strongly believe that government should assess the carrying capacity of the forest area. And should allow elephant capture in the areas that are overpopulated in order to maintain a check. Also, it should find out the demand of elephants in different sectors in order to accommodate the elephants captured from the forest area.” Singh is a former wildlife warden of the forest department, UP.