GUWAHATI: Instances of illegal elephant trading and their transfer from Northeast India to Kerala have posed a serious challenge for authorities in recent times.
Alok Hisarwala Gupta, founder of the Centre for Research on Animal Rights, has raised the alarm in a letter to the Regional Deputy Director of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, urging the cancellation of all applications for elephant transfers from the region.
In his letter, Gupta highlighted the activities of one Omanakuttan Pillai, alleging that he has a long history of wildlife crimes and is currently traveling in the Northeast.
“Pillai, with a two-decades-long history of committing wildlife crimes, is traveling through Arunachal, Assam, and Tripura to purchase elephants and supply them for the Pooram Festival circuit to Kerala-based elephant owners,” the letter, which is in possession of the Northeast News, revealed.
Under Section 43 of the Wildlife Protection Act, there is a strict embargo against the commercial transfer of elephants.
The Wildlife Amendment Act 2022 allows non-commercial transfers only when an elephant owner is unable to care for their captive elephant and the transfer would lead to better upkeep.
Gupta expressed concerns that wildlife criminals are misusing this narrow exception by disguising illegal commercial transfers as “gifts”.
The 2024 Transfer Rules further limit these exceptions to elephants with valid ownership certificates and genetic mapping of maternity.
“Our fear is that this narrow exception will be misused by traders like Omanakuttan Pillai, who have continuously rigged the system to keep illegal elephant trade alive,” Gupta stated in the letter.
He pointed out two common tactics used by these traders – creating a high demand for elephants, pressuring traditional communities in the Northeast to capture young elephants from the wild, and misrepresenting commercial transactions as legal “gifts” by hiding the money trail and creating false documentation.
Gupta cited an important intelligence report authored by Chaturbhuja Behera, a former member of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, titled Study on illegal sale and transfer of live elephants from Assam.
Citing examples of past illegal transfers and media reports, Gupta noted that since 2018, over 175 captive elephants have died in Kerala, most of them under the torture and stress of the Pooram season.
“This has only exacerbated the demand for more elephants with very little change in their welfare on the ground,” the letter added.
The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau has yet to respond publicly to Gupta’s allegations and recommendations, but the letter has sparked significant concern among animal rights activists and conservationists.
