Trivandrum: Based on the recommendation in ‘The Report of the Elephant Task Force’,
the Environment and Forest Ministry has now decided to declare Elephant as the ‘National heritage animal’. It also recommended setting up an Elephant Protection Authority to protect the animal from extinction, on the line of the Tiger Protection Authority.

The reports also point out the pathetic condition of the captive elephants in temples. According to the report submitted to the Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh yesterday, there are around 3,500 captive elephants in the country of which 1500 are at temples across the country.

The minister, after receiving the reports from the task force, stated that the elephants should not be paraded in processions. He also advised the task force to conduct talks with the temple authorities to safeguard the status of these animals. He also said that the wildlife act will be altered in order to set up the Elephant authority in the country and this decision will be tabled in the Parliament in the coming winter session.

The report stressed the need to notify the Elephant reserves as ecologically sensitive areas under the Environment Protection Act. The walking corridors of the animals should be protected from human encroachments. The human-animal conflicts should be avoided and for that special plans should be adopted. Every year around 400 human causalities are reported due to the elephant attacks in the country.

The report recommends implementing awareness programmes to educate the people about the importance of protecting the species.