NGOs welcome complete ban on elephants within the Mumbai

The office of the additional principal conservator of forest passed an order on Monday that bans the presence and entry of elephants within the city limits of Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai.

This order was passed at a meeting between forest officials and local animal rights NGOs on the same day, but was being deliberated since the death of elephant Bijlee, according to an official.

“Talks had been going on since Bijlee’s death, but, on Monday, we decided that this congested city is not a place for elephants. Being inhabitants of the wild, they are not only kept in deplorable conditions but may also get agitated due to traffic noise, which will lead to accidents,” says Suresh Thorat, additional principal chief conservator of forests, west region.

NGOs fighting against the use of elephants for commercial purpose in cities were pleasantly surprised with the move.

“Elephants are extremely intelligent animals and face unbearable cruelty for a few minutes of entertainment. We thank the Forest Department for such prompt and positive action,” said Pritish Nandy, founder trustee of People for Animals.

“Thankfully, this order has no loopholes, the last one only affected elephant handlers without ownership certificates. Also, now these handlers might move to Kalyan, Dombivli and Bhandup.
We are trying make it a district-level order,” said Shakuntala Majumdar of the Thane Society for Prevention of Cruelty of Animals.