Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has called for a revaluation of the Captive Elephant (Transfer or Transport) Rules 2024, citing illegal transfers and transportation of elephants from the Northeast to states such as Kerala and Odisha.
In a letter addressed to the Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav on Tuesday, Ramesh highlighted discrepancies in the Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Bill 2022.
He pointed out a controversial clause that permits the transfer of elephants under an “any other purpose” category, which he believes is being exploited.
Ramesh expressed concerns about the “broader exception” for non-commercial elephant transfers introduced by the Bill, arguing that it contradicts the Standing Committee’s recommendations.
“I had supported the exception for ‘religious’ purposes, although the Rules should have specified this exception further. You had assured the House that ‘any other purpose’ would be clarified in the Rules. Unfortunately, the Rules do not still clarify what ‘any other purpose’ means. This leaves wide gaps for misuse,” Ramesh wrote in his letter, which he also shared on social media.
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He highlighted that “these are not baseless fears”, citing recent incidents of elephants being commercially transferred from Arunachal Pradesh to Kerala, Odisha, and Gujarat.
“There have been serious attempts to transfer wild-caught elephants to these states from the Northeast under the guise of captive and donations! These have been documented and are well known to officials,” he added.
Earlier, on Monday, Alok Hisarwala Gupta, founder of the Centre for Research on Animal Rights, 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 Northeast.
Gupta’s letter highlighted the activities of one Omanakuttan Pillai, alleging that he has a long history of wildlife crimes and is currently traveling in the Northeast to purchase elephants for the Pooram Festival circuit in Kerala.
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”.
