With the death of the elephant Perinjanam Sekharan, the death toll of captive elephants in the State has touched eight so far this year. Twenty-six elephants had succumbed to various illnesses and torture last year.
Sekharan was the 34th elephant to die within the past 16 months. Sekharan succumbed to liver infection, says V.K. Venkitachalam, Secretary, Heritage Animal Task Force.
“The elephant was a victim of experimental and ineffective treatment. This is the fourth captive elephant to die in the State within the past 36 days. At the time of death, the blind elephant was kept at a place where there was no statutory shelter shed. This elephant was one of the 427 elephants kept by illegal elephant contractors without having statutory ownership certificates,” Mr. Venkitachalam said.
Another elephant, Channanikkad Neelakandan, died at Pavaratty on April 10.
The elephant was suffering from foot disease and impaction.
Frame protocol
The Heritage Animal Task Force urged the Kerala State Forest Department to frame a protocol to conduct diagnosis and treatment of elephants in captivity and to conduct post-mortem in a scientific manner.
In case of elephant deaths, post-mortem must be conducted by a team of pathologists, who were not part of the treatment team. Moreover, the viscera should be preserved and sent to accredited centres for statutory forensic tests, it demanded.
Against directive
Meanwhile, in a letter to the Secretary, Animal Welfare Board of India, Chennai, and Director, Project Elephant, Ministry of Environment and Forest, the task force alleged that the elephant Parassala Sivasankaran that killed its second mahout Murugesh at Parassala on Thursday was kept by the Travancore Devaswom Board without ownership certificate. “The Animal Welfare Board of India had directed the Forest Department two years ago to initiate urgent steps to rehabilitate that elephant into their elephant care centre. The Forest Department is yet to implement the order.” It urged the authorities to take steps to shift the elephant to the care centre.