Elephant Task Force Report

: Luit Chaliha

A major Report on securing the future for the Elephant in India was today submitted to the Minister of Environment & Forests. The Report lays out a comprehensive action agenda for protecting elephants in the wild and in captivity, and for addressing human-elephant conflict. The Minister welcomed the Report and promised speedy implementation of the major recommendations.

In this file photo taken on December 23, 2006, Nirumai, the mother of 2 month old baby elephant Dulumoni feeds milk at the Bagari range of Kaziranga National Park in Assam. India unveiled an ambitious plan on Aug. 31, 2010 to save its dwindling elephant population with a multi-pronged strategy including creating new reserves, improvement of habitats and strict norms for elephants in captivity. “Elephant corridors” which the animals use to move across forested regions straddling different states would be secured and protected by law to prevent encroachment by mining, irrigation or industrial projects leading to the destruction of the habitat Jairam Ramesh, minister for environment and forests said while declaring the elephant India’s “National Heritage Animal.”