In a bid to make elephants co-exist with human beings, the need for certain change in wildlife management polices and good management practices by stake holders i.e., the Forest, Highways and Railways were stressed at a programme organised to mark the World Elephants Day on August 12.
At the World Elephant Day event jointly organised by Environment Conservation Group (ECG), Nature Conservation Society (NCS), Wildlife Nature and Conservation Trust (WNCT), WWF India and other NGOs, the grim situation facing the elephants across the globe was highlighted. With only about 5,00,000 African elephants and about 30,000 Asian elephants remaining, it was very important to protect them and their natural habitat, speakers stressed.
The fragile elephant corridors across the country need to be secured. Poaching of elephants for tusks need to be put down with a firm resolve. Using articles made from animal parts including items made from ivory and rings made from elephant hair need to be shunned. The ivories and wildlife articles seized by the department should be destroyed by burning.
August 12 is observed as World Elephant Day since 2012 to spread awareness on elephants and the violent and critical threats that they face around the world.
The seizure of more than 500 kg of ivory from Kerala and Delhi less than a year ago and the confession of the poachers brought to light that a number of elephants had been killed in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and other parts of the country for their ivory. The trade in ivory did not concern just the elephants but was also a great concern for the security of our nation as most of the money earned in this trade was used to support anti-national activities, including terrorism, the speakers said.
R. Mohammed Saleem, president of ECG, C. Boominathan, landscape coordinator of WWF India, Sadiq Ali, president of WNCT, N.I. Jalaluddin, president of NCS, Stephen, Mohanraj and Chandrasekar of Vanam Trust spoke on the need to study and protect the elephant population.
