TIRUCHI: The State government has formed committees in every district to periodically monitor and review the well being of captive elephants.
Towards this direction, District Level Captive Elephant Welfare Committee (DLCEWC) has been constituted in 32 districts across the State as per the Tamil Nadu Captive Elephant (Management and Maintenance) Rules, 2011.
The State government has spelt out the duties and responsibilities of the DLCEWC after accepting the proposal of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden in this regard. The committee comprising of four members is headed by the respective District Forest Officer, who is the Member Convenor.
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A senior official from the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department also forms part of the committee. A veterinary surgeon and a senior official from the Animal Husbandry Department have been nominated in the committee in some districts.
A representative from a non-governmental organisation has been roped in some districts to be part of the panel constituted on the direction from the Madras High Court. Forest Department officials here said the DLCEWC would monitor the well being of the captive elephants.
The committee would review the welfare and maintenance of the captive elephants once in three months, according to the order issued by the Environment and Forests Department. Captive elephants are those maintained in temples and by private persons. The captive elephants were those which were not in the wild, said a Forest Department official.
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The committee members would monitor the physical condition and well being of the captive elephants by carrying out field inspection at regular intervals, the official said. The panel members would also find out if the animal had any problems, any injury on its body by taking a veterinary doctor along with them and recommend suitable measures.
Every district-level committee has been asked to maintain a data sheet as specified in the Tamil Nadu Captive Elephant (Management and Maintenance) Rule, 2011 in respect of each captive elephant in the district under their jurisdiction, said the government order.
The district-level committee would send a report to the State-Level Captive Elephant Welfare Committee for its recommendations as per the government order. The whole objective behind this move was to ensure the welfare and well-being of the captive animals, the official said.
In Tiruchi district alone, the number of captive elephants was 12 including those maintained by private persons. The Forest Department has been maintaining a register on the number of captive elephants in Tiruchi district along with details of micro chips embedded in the elephants.