Principal chief conservator of forests (Wildlife), DVS Khati said, “The 12 elephants from Karnataka will help in patrolling and protecting the Corbett tigers. Now we will make efforts to get elephants for Rajaji Tiger Reserve and some forest divisions of Terai area for better vigil.”
Deputy director of the Corbett Tiger Reserve told TOI that they have finally got nod from Karnataka forest department after getting permission from CZI and environment ministry for the translocation of elephants. Since sale and purchase of the wild animals are not permitted as per the Wildlife Protection Act, so Karnataka is giving these 12 elephants as gift to us. “
He said, after death of many of their elephants for natural reasons in the Corbett, they were in dire need of the elephants. The mahouts of the dead elephants would now be roped in to work for the new pachyderms. Their salaries would be sourced from the Corbett Foundation Fund.
He said, the elephants would primarily be used for patrolling. “Our southern boundaries adjacent to the Uttar Pardesh are quite porous and susceptible from poachers. So patrolling on elephants will not only give a much better overview of the surrounding but be immensely useful during five months of Monsoon season, when the kucha roads in the Corbett gets washed away, the vegetation too get thicker and denser while the entire area becomes too marshy. It becomes very difficult to ply on vehicles in such conditions,” he said.