Save elephants

Date:31/08/2010 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2010/08/31/stories/2010083153070300.htm Back Kerala - Palakkad Call to shift rail tracks from Walayar forests Staff Reporter PALAKKAD: The Wildlife Protection Society of India (South India) has urged Southern Railway to shift one the railway tracks from the Walayar forests to save wild animals from getting hit by trains. In a letter to the General Manager, Southern Railway, here on Monday, S. Guruvayurappan, project officer and coordinator of the organisation, said the ‘B' line should be shifted parallel to National Highway no. 47. Steps such as electric fencing and digging of trenches had failed to keep away the animals from the tracks. The society, in letters to the Chief Conservators of Forests of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, also opposed the move to fire bullet-less noise guns and use of smoke to scare away animals from entering human settlements in Palakkad district. “The smoking method to keep away elephants uses a combination of elepha...

Elephant task force final report published Click here for the Report News reports say: Panel for phased curbs on captive elephants Bombay News.NetTuesday 31st August, 2010 (IANS) The elephant task force set up by the environment and forests ministry has recommended discontinuing in a regulated manner the practice of keeping elephants in temples, zoos and circuses.In its report submitted to Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh Tuesday, the 12-member task force said there are 3,500 captive elephants in the country with 1,200-1,500 of them working in temples.'It is not possible to put a blanket ban on captive elephants but eventually they have to be phased out. There is a need for some kind of regulation in this respect,' said Mahesh Rangarajan, who heads the task force.Concerned over the 'poor status' of captive elephants in temples, Ramesh asked the members of the task force to talk to the temple managements.Initially the task force is likely to hold dialogu...