Elephant to be declared as India's National Heritage Animal

Union Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh today said the Government would declare the elephant as the National Heritage Animal.

Speaking to mediapersons afer releasing the report of the Elephant Task Force here, Mr Ramesh said his Ministry would also set up a National Elephant Conservation Authority to give the same degree of visibility, importance and criticality as is being given to the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

He said the Ministry would launch a science-based exercise for protecting the animal and for conducting a census.

Mr Ramesh appreciated the manner in which the Task Force had addressed the main issues related to elephants. They include elephant corridors in the context of mining, power and irrigation projects, of protection of elephant corridors, elephant in captivity, institutional changes in order to put elephant conservation on a high, sound footing and give it same degree of visibility as Project Tiger gets.

The Minister welcomed the suggestion to organize an International Elephant Conference in 2011.

Referring to damage to crops and plantations in various states, he said the identification of high conflict areas between man and animal will help in early conflict management.

"Two agencies, Railways and Power Grid Corporation, will play an important role in halting damage to elephants," he said.

The Task Force was set up by the Ministry under the Chairmanship of Dr Mahesh Rangarajan to address the problems related to the Asian elephant.

Presenting the report, Dr Rangarajan said the elephant must be given its due place and felt the National Heritage Animal status would be a befitting thing because it unifies both culture and ecology.

He said the survival of animals depends on partnership with people. An education and outreach programme called "Gaja to Praja" is required to educate people to save elephants, he said.

Among other things, the Task Force has recommended prioritisation of the 88 elephant corridors, immediate implementation in 26 corridors which have vital feasibility, drawing up of 50-year perspective plans instead of five-years as this is a long-living species and inclusion of knowledge bearers outside the Government.

It said the animal should be monitored on an age-sex classification because there is a low male-female sex ratio of elephants in the wild. It also said that reserves and corridors should be protected from developmental projects, and special attention should be paid to the conflict between humans and elephants as almost 400 people are killed protecting the crops every year. India has some 3500 animals in captivity.

NNN