Will a complaint shot off by an animal lover to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF) prove to be a headache for a few State Ministers?
Revenue Minister E. Chandrasekharan, Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunil Kumar, Electricity Minister M.M. Mani, Water Resource Minister Mathew T. Thomas and Forest Minister K. Raju had visited Kappukadu to assess the efforts that had been undertaken to supply water from Neyyar dam, during which they reportedly witnessed a baby elephant sustaining injuries.
V.K. Venkitachalam, secretary of the Thrissur-based Heritage Animal Task Force, has written a complaint to the Inspector-General of Forests, MoEF; Chief Secretary, State Police Chief, District Collector and the Forest Department secretary, alleging that the Ministers and other VIPs had been responsible for the four-year-old elephant losing one of its tusks.
According to him, three baby elephants at the Kappukadu elephant camp had been brought to the place where the Ministers had camped. While they attempted to fondle the animal, it ran away and rammed into a tree, injuring itself in the process. Having lost its tusk, the elephant suffered severe pain and bleeding, Mr. Venkitachalam claimed. He added that such an internal injury is extremely dangerous for the elephant.
With the elephant camp qualifying as a zoo as it collected entrance fee from visitors, the guidelines of the Zoo Authority of India were relevant for the functioning of the facility. In the particular case, the guidelines were violated by the parading of elephants in front of the VIPs, he alleged.
However, forest officials were of the stance that no laws had been violated during the Ministers’ visit.
