The Indian EXPRESS
Wednesday October 10, 2007

Fitted with microchips, city’s elephants under wildlife dept scanner

Life in the Capital for the 31 captive elephants which brave through Delhi’s harsh climate just got a bit better.
Most of the pachyderms, which make special appearances at temples and for the Republic Day parade, in the Capital have been fitted with microchips, which Wildlife Department officials say would help them track their movements apart from conducting regtular medical checks.
The Wildlife Department, in collaboration with NGO Wildlife SOS, have embedded the chips on 27, elephants; the embedding will be complete this week, officials said. With a recent Supreme Court order directing settlements on the banks of the river Yamuna be vacated, owners and their elephants have been relocating to areas like Wazirabad and Sonia Vihar.
The elephants are usually seen at temples and for the Republic day parade annually. For elephant owners, the business is hereditary. Says 25-years old Faruz, who came to get Moti, his elephant, microchipped, “The elephants are in demand at landmark temples like Hanuman, Birla and Chattarpur. My father is in the same profession and this elephant is older than me.”
“There was a time when elephants were in demand for Diwali melas. Now, the craze is low. Also the crowds have become larger, which makes a procession unmanageable, “ says Akram, who works for Haji Rafiq Ahmed Hati Wala. Haji and his kin, through different companies, own more than 20 elephants in Delhi.
Wildlife experts, however, point out that the lifespan of elephants in Delhi is short, thanks to the adverse climate. “An elephant usually lives up to 60 years. What really takes a toll on the pachyderms, energy is not being exhibited, but making them walk for long distances on the scorching roads, which leads to pitted soles,” says Dr Suraj Kumar, who has worked with elephants in Assam Arunachal Pradesh and Kerala . “In Assam and Kerala, owners usually walk elephants in the morning or evening. In Delhi owners don’t have access to medical facilities,” says Dr Suraj

“Theses belong in the jungle. Cities like Delhi and Jaipur have used them for tourism and entertainment. We are trying to introduce simple welfare measures like providing free medical aid, sleeves for ropes used on them and harnesses,” says Kartick Satyanarayan from Wildlife SOS.