Held to ransom
There are almost three thousand five hundred captive elephants in India. Most of these domestic elephants are found in two states, Assam and Kerala. The elephant is in the Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, so trading in it is barred. But that doesn't stop the trade from flourishing under the so-called permit system. It is traded in almost like livestock.
But keeping an elephant is a tough task. Finding an expert mahout to train it, ride it, is tougher today. The art of captive elephants is slowly dying. A H Khan, owner of two elephants in Assam and a renowned mahout, says, "Once the logging ban was enforced the elephants in Assam fell out of job. They now have to resort to illegal logging, at times even venture into neighboring countries. Where is the opportunity to hone your skills, practice to perfect the science. The laws have squeezed the life out of the entire traditional system.' From Kerala too the stories of problems with captive elephants hit the news with regularity. "The lack of professional management is a serious problem,' says Jacob V Cheeran, a veterinary scientist based in Kerala.
"But when stuck with a problem at hand, the forest department calls us to their rescue, we do the best we can, but tell me how do I keep an elephant healthy and trained all the year around by the pittance I am paid,' says one mahout attending a festival of Asian elephants organised at Kahziranga National Park in January 2003.