Sir,

Enclosed herewith is the photograph of baby elephant which is now kept at Muthanga elephant camp of kerala forest department in adverse circumstances which is congenial for the health of that elephant.

The small elephant which was captured by forest officials from Aanamooly forest station area in Agaly Attappady Mannarkkad is now kept at Muthanga elephant Camp violating the guidelines prescribed by the Project Elephant of Govt .of India. This baby elephant was transported to Muthanga in a vehicle and its journey through public road covering more than 140 kilometers had caused high stress on the tender body of the elephant. This baby elephant separated from its mother elephant now lack mothermilk which is very indispensible for gaining body weight and blood circulation. In other parts of Indian forest, the forest officials allow baby elephants to join the herd of its mother elephant whenever any baby elephant trespasses into human inhibiting areas. But it is only in Kerala state the state forest department officials capture baby elephants from wild for the purpose of exhibiting them infront of tourist at their four elephant keeping centers. One baby elephant captured at Muthanga in this way during February 2016 had died as a result of failure of the unscientific methods of rescue system.

This type of capture and feeding of processed food for these small elephants will create various abdominal infections and also create psychological problems on this small animal at an age when they need the presence of mother elephant. The claim of forest officials that the baby elephant was not ready to go back to the wild elephant herd is not true. In west Bengal, Assam, Tamilnadu and Karnataka, there were a number of instances of joining of baby elephants with wild elephant herds even after the lapse of more than one week and one month of separation of baby elephant from wild elephant herd. Therefore , I expect that your authoritative office will do all the needful to order the Kerala forest department to free this baby elephant to allow to join its mother elephant herd as early as possible. This type of capture of baby elephants from wild separating them from mother elephant will affect the health condition of such small elephants adversely. The forest officials in Kerala continue to capture these types of small elephants from wild mainly to admit them into elephant keeping yards in Muthanga, Kodanad,Konni and Kottor, where the forest department earn crores of rupees by exhibiting them for the enjoyment of tourists. At the same time during the past 20 years 48 baby elephants captured from wild in these ways had lost their precious lives due to adverse circumstances prevailing in these four elephant keeping yard of kerala state forest department.If this elephant is forced to travel in vehicles towards any of these four elephant keeping yard, it will result in heavy stress on the body of this small elephant. Three weeks ago, a baby elephant which was captured and kept at Muthanga Elephant yard during 2016 february had died with wounds all over its body had died. Moreover, Kerala State Govt have not earned any permission from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest to capture elephants from the wild for past 20 years. Therefore, this type of capturing wild elephants by Kerala State Forest departments is a quite violation of the Elephant Preservation Rules of India. In other states, the forest department officials will try their best to help any baby elephants to join its mother elephant herd whenever any such baby elephants trespasses into human inhibiting areas. But in Kerala does not allow such baby elephants to rejoin the elephant herd in the wild. I expect that your authoritative office will look into this serious offence and issue strict orders to kerala forest department to allow this baby elephant to join its mother elephant herd as early as possible.