Jumbos forced to beg on Paradip streets - Mahouts from Bihar remain ignorant of wildlife laws, drive their pets in Orissa during summer

MANOJ KAR

A mahout drives his pet elephant to street begging on NH-5 (A). The jumbo extorts crews of cargo-laden trucks stranded at the highway. Telegraph picture

Paradip, April 18: Hordes of pet elephants from Bihar have turned into itinerant street beggar in Paradip, thanks to their ignorant mahouts.

The jumbos are extorting crews of ore-laden trucks stranded on NH-5 (A).

As per the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, using elephants to beg on streets is a punishable offence. Moreover, the mahouts by exposing the jumbos to stride on tar roads amid scorching heat are committing an offence under the prevention of cruelty to the Animals Act. However, forest personnel have shied away from booking the offending mahouts. Earlier, mahouts from Uttar Pradesh were arrested for putting to use their pet elephants for street begging. But the move backfired as the animal had stopped taking food, as if to protest against its master’s arrest. The starving elephant had forced the forest officials to pray before the local court for bailing out of the arrested mahout.

“The mahouts are in possession of valid permission from the concerned state’s forest department for animals’ seasonal migration to Orissa. But they are breaking law by forcing the pets to street begging. Keeping in view the past incidents, we are yet to arrest the mahouts under legal provisions,” said Manoj Kumar Mahapatra, divisional forest officer (DFO) of the Rajnagar Mangrove (Wildlife) Forest Division.

“Forest officer of the Kujang forest range has inspected one of the male itinerant elephant and found out the animal healthy. But, the mahout is breaking law by using the elephant for street begging. Unless he mends his ways, we will be forced to arrest him under the wildlife law,” said Mahapatra.

Owner of the tusker Sambhu Kumar from Gaya was caught unaware of the wildlife laws. “I have got six month’s permit to take the pet to Orissa. During summer, we fall short of water and leaves to feed the animal. That’s why we migrate to Orissa every year. People here love and pay respect to the elephants. Most people in rural Orissa bow their head to the elephant and offer things such as, grains and bananas. Some of them donate money also. My elephant requires a minimum of 300 to 400 litres of water a day during the summer. There is ample source of water in Orissa than in Bihar,” said Kumar.

“In our state there are hundreds of captive elephants under private ownership and duly permitted by the state forest department. We never abuse and ill-treat our pets,” he said.

“Elephants born and brought up in captivity never adapts to natural habitats. That’s why official permission for private ownership of pet jumbos is given despite the fact that the animal is accorded the Schedule-1 security status under the Wildlife Protection Act with strict conditions. By violating the conditions, pet elephants are forced by their owners to live and work in inhospitable urban environment. The owner or handler makes money by forcing the elephants to perform tricks for people’s entertainment. Moreover, the animals are rampantly used in street begging,” said wildlife activist Bijoy Kumar Kabi.

(sourced from the telegraph)