Tamed pachyderms become Bengal’s white elephants

Indo-Asian News Service
September 20, 2004

Kolkata, Sep 20 : There is a sudden glut of elephants bred in captivity
in West Bengal, and the state’s cash strapped forest department is
finding it difficult to maintain them.

There are 76 of them now in the state’s various reserve forests
stretching the state’s means, but the authorities have allegedly ignored
opportunities to “gift away” some of the animals to other states and
countries.

The elephants are a drain on the resources till they reach the age of
8-10 years or six ft in height when they can be put to use, local
reports said.

Trained elephants are usually used to patrol forests, carry tourists on
jungle safaris and capture wild animals, particularly untamed elephants.

These animals live in the forests of Jaldapara, Buxa and Gorumara in
north Bengal with their trainers.

Forest officials said these trained elephants were breeding fast and it
was becoming difficult for them to maintain them.

The forest department has identified more than a dozen elephants from
the 76 now available that could be given away to others, but the
government reportedly hasn’t moved on the suggestion.

“It requires a lot of money to maintain elephants bred in captivity.
Besides, a large number of trained manpower is needed to train these
animals,” a forest official said.

One option is to give away the animals to others needing them. And there
are quite a few takers at home and abroad.

But the state government is unmoved. It recently let slip a chance to
send one of the 76 elephants to Armenia as a gift to its President
Robert Kocharian.

There is a male elephant in Armenia’s Yerevan Zoo, but it needs a female
companion. Bengal’s forest officials had chosen Shakuntala, a
six-year-old well-mannered young elephant. However, the government sat
on the proposal and now Shakuntala has missed the flight.

Instead, Komala, a seven-and-a-half year old female elephant from Mysore
zoo will be flying to Armenia by Oct 15.

Other Indian states have also asked West Bengal for elephants, but the
state government is not acting yet.

“After a point it will be difficult to maintain any more trained
elephants. There is a glut already. We need to take steps before these
become really and truly white elephants,” an official said.