Context:
Recently, Centre notified rules allowing transfer of ‘captive’ elephants under Captive Elephant (Transfer or Transport) Rules, 2024
Captive Elephants:
- Often referred to as domesticated but they are tamed, not domesticated.
- Used for – Entertainment, logging, construction, zoos, promotions, marketing etc.
- Often transported in small trailers and boxcars for traveling circuses
Captive Elephant (Transfer or Transport) Rules, 2024:
- Aim – To ease the regulations for transferring elephants within or between states
- Ministry – Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC)
Key highlights:
- Application for transfer of captive elephants – Shall be made to the Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) having jurisdiction over the area where the elephant is registered
- On application, DCF shall –
- Obtain a certificate of a veterinary practitioner
- Conduct a proper verification of facility where elephant is presently and proposed to be housed
- Forward application/report to Chief Wildlife Warden (CWW ) within 15 days
- Transfer within state – CWW permit or reject transfer of captive elephants within 7 days after the examination of report
- Transfer outside of states – CWW of donor state shall forward application to CWW of recipient state within 15 days
- Terms and conditions for transfer –
- Owner is no longer able to maintain the elephant
- No transfer shall be done unless genetic profile of animal has been entered in electronic monitoring application of MoEFCC etc.
- Validity –
- From date of grant of permission, elephant transfer shall be effected within a period not exceeding 3 months
- Transport permit shall not be more than 1 month.
Exemptions for Captive Elephants:
- Elephant being transferred ought to be accompanied by a mahout and an elephant assistant
- A health certificate showing the fitness of the elephant needs to be obtained from a veterinary practitioner
- In case of contagious disease, transport shall be carried out after the mandatory quarantine period
- Shall be properly fed and given water before loading
- Necessary arrangements shall be made to provide food and water to the elephant en route
- Tranquilisers/sedatives shall be used to control nervous or temperamental elephants upon prescription by the veterinary practitioner
Related articles: Project Elephant
Source: The Hindu
Previous Year Question
With reference to Indian elephants, consider the following statements:
1. The leader of an elephant group is a female.
2. The maximum gestation period can be 22 months.
3. An elephant can normally go on calving till the age of 40 years only.
4. Among the States in India, the highest elephant population is in Kerala.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2020 Prelims]
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 4 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 3 and 4 only
Answer: (a)
Explanation:
Statement 3 is not correct:
The average life expectancy of an elephant is 70 years and at the age of 18 years, its adulthood starts
Statement 4 is not correct:
South Indian states dominate in having a number of elephants. Among the south Indian states, Karnataka leads the table with 6,049 elephants followed by Kerala.
