Kerala
Despite directive Kerala captive elephants suffer in open air
Even15 days after the deadline given by Forest department to construct proper shelters for all captive elephants in Kerala, the pachyderms still live in open air.
A Deccan Chronicle report says that 50 of the 57 captive elephants in Guruvayur temple and 12 of the 21 elephants under the the Travancore Devaswom Board have not been provided with shelters yet.
The report also adds that many elephants owned by Kochi Devaswom and Malabar Devaswom also live in open air.
State animal welfare board member M.N. Jayachandran has alleged that Forest Department has been neglecting this issue, though they had issued a circular in May setting a deadline to provide shelters for the jumbos.
According to the circular issued by Forest department in May any owner failing to provide housing for elephants within the deadline of three months would be fined Rs 25,000 and delay would lead to a fine amounting to Rs 500 for each day for the first 15 days, Rs 1,000 per day for the next 15 days, Rs 2,000 per day for the next 15 days and Rs 4,000 per day for the following 15 days.
