A public interest litigation petition has been filed in the Madras High Court for a direction to the State government authorities not to take camp elephants from the Mudumalai and Anamalai Tiger Reserves to the elephant rejuvenation camp to be held at Mettupalayam from December 19 to February 4.
The petitioner, S.Jayachandran of Udhagamandalam, The Nilgiris District, said he had been involved in conservation-related activities for the past three decades. He was the Joint Secretary of Tamil Nadu Green Movement. He said the rejuvenation camp was meant to give rest, nutritious food and medical care to domesticated elephants attached to temples and mutts.
In the rejuvenation camps in the earlier years only temple and mutt elephants were accommodated. However, this year, the authorities are proposing to send even captive elephants, numbering about 55, under the control of the Forest departments at Mudumalai and Anamalai Tiger Reserves and Vandalur zoo.
There was a vast difference in the behavioural and rearing methods between temple and mutt elephants and those in forest camps. Temple elephants lived alongside human habitations and acquired contagious diseases from human beings and domestic cattle. If camp elephants mingled with domesticated pachyderm, they would contract the diseases, the petitioner said.
