AGRA: In a unique initiative, wildlife rescue and rehabilitation organisation Wildlife SOS has collaborated with the Uttar Pradesh forest department to actively track down elephants under illegal possession.
This is an effort to curb trafficking of illegally owned elephants that are sold into a life of begging as well as used in processions, circuses or institutions and exploited for monetary gain. The forest department will be investigating these cases to track down the number of elephants being held without legal permission and paperwork.
Wildlife SOS and the forest department have jointly issued a Public Service Announcement imploring the public to share any information they can gather on elephants without proper ownership documents.
Umendra Sharma, chief wildlife warden said, “Illegal possession of an elephant is punishable by law under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The purpose of this advertisement is to spread awareness about the illegality of this offence and empower people to ensure the law is upheld by coming forward with any information they might have about people holding elephants without proper documents.”
Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder Wildlife SOS said, “Wildlife SOS will be putting all efforts to assist the UP forest department to curb the illicit wildlife trafficking of India’s elephants and to support the conservation of this species in the wild.”
Asian elephants are listed as ‘endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and protected under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.