Forest department starts inquiry against owner of elephant for flouting guideline

Forest officials on Tuesday, under pressure from animal welfare activists, initiated an inquiry against the owner of a 30-year-old female elephant for allegedly violating forest department guideline that bans the entry of pachyderms into municipal limits of Thane, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.

Incidentally, activists had to pressurise the forest department on Monday evening after the elephant, Rangmala, was seen at Mumbra toll naka with her owner, who was waiting for transport permit (TP) from the forest department so that she could be taken out of the city. It was after this that the forest staff began an investigation on Tuesday and the owner even confessed that he had taken Rangmala in the areas where activists had claimed to have seen her, at the same time justifying that he had lost his way.

"We do not believe that they had lost their way as we had been filing complaints with the forest department regarding regular sighting of this elephant for more than a week, submitting pictures and videos showing her being used to beg, and moving in city areas of Thane, Kalyan and other places.

On Sunday too she was spotted in Badlapur by a Vasai resident and animal lover, Kalpika Mahajan, who followed the elephant for two hours and even called up forest officials and visited police station, but to no avail," said Shakuntala Majumdar, animal welfare officer and president of Thane SPCA.

On Tuesday, a team of veterinarians from Thane SPCA even went and inspected Rangmala. "Overall she looked fine, one of her eyes was damaged due to a cracker as per the owner, but only complete analysis of her dung and blood can confirm if she is healthy. She was brought to Mumbai from Nashik after attending the Kumbh Mela. We have requested forest officials to make a detailed case of the violations and take it to the magistrate, so that, if needed and established that the elephant was suffering due to cruelty, she can be taken in custody by the forest department and even sent to the Mathura elephant rescue centre run by NGO Wildlife SOS," added Majumdar.

Activists have been fighting to ensure a complete ban on elephants, a protected and Schedule I species, from being used for begging and other purposes, including religious, and for private functions. A circular dated December 2014 from the principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) to all chief conservators of forests (territorial) bans the movement of elephant on foot within municipal corporation limits. The additional PCCF, Mumbai, had already banned the entry of elephants into municipal limits of Thane, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.

When contacted, a forest official involved with the case said they were carrying out investigations.