At least 12 tuskers from Maha to reach Reliance zoo by Jan 2022 | Rajkot News – Times of India

Nagpur: The Maharashtra forest department has decided to get rid of at least 12 captive elephants kept in Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) and Gadchiroli by sending them to a rescue centre managed by Reliance’s Radhe Krishna Elephant Welfare Trust at Jamnagar.
Talking to TOI, Sunil Limaye, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), Maharashtra, confirmed the move and said, “In the first phase, all the six elephants at Tadoba’s Botezari camp will be shifted by this month-end. In the second phase, six more from Gadchiroli – three each from Patanil in Allapalli and Kamlapur in Sironcha division – will be transported in January 2022.”
There are 20 captive elephants in possession of the forest department in Vidarbha. These include seven in Kamlapur, three in Patanil under Allapalli division, six in Tadoba, and four in Melghat, which are being used for tourism purposes. “All the elephants that are being given are untrained,” said Limaye.
Reliance is setting up a zoo on 280 acres of land near Reliance’s refinery at Moti Khavdi near Jamnagar. It will house 100 different species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. It is likely that some of the animals may be used for the zoo, said sources.
Earlier, one leopard and three sloth bears were sent to the Reliance-proposed zoo from Dr Prakash Amte’s ‘Animal Ark’ in Hemalkasa in Gadchiroli.
Gadchiroli conservator of forests (CF) Kishore Mankar said the three elephants in Patanil are old. Two have retired, while one was captured from Kolhapur during a conflict. These elephants were used for forestry operations but are now no longer in use.
“These animals will be shifted in January, transportation cost of which will be borne by Jamnagar rescue centre. The PCCF has already issued orders,” Mankar said.
Gadchiroli honorary wildlife warden Uday Patel said, “Gajraj, the aggressive Tadoba elephant, has killed three persons. These elephants have become a liability and Rs 25 lakh are spent annually on their upkeep. Besides, protection staff is also engaged in their maintenance. Secondly, the animals are suffering from herpes disease and may infect other animals too. The tuskers are being sent to a decent place where they will be well placed.”