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Jumbo Menace Of late several elephants have been roaming around the suburban roads. Despite the problems they cause to the traffic and food vendors, the authorities do little. Manoj Badgeri reports. Not long back, Laxmi, a female elephant was killed after a speeding tanker hit her in Chembur. Several Mumbai-based animal welfare NGOs had raised their concern and demanded that animals should not be allowed to roam on the road. They were successful to a small extent. With this, the situation has turned sour for suburbanites as these elephants guided by their mahouts made headway for our suburbs. Accordingly several suburban roads are witnessing elephants and their mahouts roaming around. These elephants not only obstruct traffic but also create nuisance for the roadside hawkers. The mahouts force the elephants to occupy the middle of the road and also try to extort money and eatables from residents and food vendors. Says Sitabai Sonawane, who sells bananas in Dombivli West, “These elephants and their mahouts turn up twice every week. They ask for money and fruits and we have to give them,” she says. However if you refuse to oblige the elephant or abuse the mahout then be ready to face the ire of the pachyderm. Usually whenever confronted, these mahouts would murmur something in the ears of the elephant and it would charge at the offender. When DK+ Team confronted such a mahout-elephant duo in Kalyan, the mahout almost unleashed the animal on the team. It was only after the police intervened that the mahout and the animal retracted. Unfortunately the authorities are in no position to make any difference to these animals. Several police officers whom we spoke to were unable to give out any particular action that could be taken on these defaulters (mahouts). “The best that we can do is to convince the mahouts against bullying the residents and motorists,” said a police officer from Dombivli. Nilesh Bhange, animal welfare activist of PAWS says, “The living conditions of these captive animals are pathetic and they are usually used for begging on streets.” As per Bhanges survey there are around 16 such captive elephants doing the rounds in the suburbs. Bhange is planning to submit his finding to the Chief Wildlife Warden of He adds that the licenses should not be issued to these mahouts. As per the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, every wild animal that has to be kept in captivity needs a certificate from the forest department. However Sachin Joshi of Nature Save Society, Dombivli says that the rehabilitation should be holistic for the animals and not just to enforce the law. “These animals are used by the mahouts. While planning their rehab, proper thought must be put,” says Joshi. The forest department on its part expressed inability to help as it doesnt have the requisite infrastructure. “No doubt that several elephants are ill-treated and having them on the suburban roads causes problems, there is little that we can do as we dont have the requisite budgets and infrastructure to rehabilitate them,” says a senior official attached to the wildlife department, Thane. Considering that few NGOs working in the suburbs are taking up the cause of these pachyderms, its not a happy future for these animals. URL- http://www.dombivalikalyanplus.com/fullstory.asp?articleID=DKP1ART1224200615532 |
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