The Maharashtra government’s forest department on Friday informed the Kolhapur division bench of the Bombay High Court that it is not possible to rehabilitate a 10-year-old elephant named ‘Omkar’ in the wild at present.
The department said it had become necessary to shift the elephant from the current area to Vantara in Jamnagar in Gujarat run by Radhe Krishna Elephant Welfare Trust (RKTWET) for training as it is of an “immature age”.
As the Indian Express reported in September, the elephant was frequently seen roaming in forest areas in the Sindhudurg district of the Konkan region. The semi-male elephant was earlier seen roaming in Pernem district in North Goa after being separated from its six-member herd in Sindhudurg district, and was looting paddy fields and searching for coconuts, areca nuts and bananas.
The chief wildlife warden of the state forest department on Friday submitted submissions while responding to a PIL by Rohit Prakash Kamble seeking to protect and conserve wildlife, especially elephants that have entered Maharashtra through the Western Ghats.
On November 4, state government advocate TJ Kapri informed a division bench of Justices MS Karnik and Ajit P Kadithankar that authorities under Section 11 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 had initiated action to capture the elephant, identified as ‘Omkar’ and rehabilitate the elephant to another place, preferably at Vantara.
The State Counsel also stressed that it had become necessary to transfer the elephant to Vantara and that the relocation and rehabilitation measures were “only in the best interest of the elephant and also to avoid wildlife and human conflict.”
On 7 November, the State Counsel on behalf of the Chief Wildlife Warden reported that the authorities were “satisfied that Omkar the elephant cannot be rehabilitated in the wild” in accordance with the second proviso to Section 11 (A) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, which states that the Chief Wildlife Warden must record the reasons for this in writing.
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The HC then sought a detailed affidavit in response from the Chief Wildlife Warden clarifying its position within a week, and sent another hearing to 14 November.
(tags for translation) Vantara
