Lok Sabha Question No. 2813 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-28
Subject: Zoological Parks
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: BALASUBRAMANIAM SENGUTTUVAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2813

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 28.12.2018

## Zoological Parks

## 2813.  SHRI B. SENGUTTUVAN:

Will  the  Minister  of  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND  CLIMATE  CHANGE  be  pleased  to state:

- (a) whether his Ministry keeps track of the total number of elephants kept in human captivity apart from the zoological parks in the country, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether stringent procedural safeguards are in place for rearing elephants in captivity and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether of late there is a discernible upward trend in the sudden deaths of the elephants kept in human custody and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the proactive steps contemplated to save the elephants in captivity?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

- (a) The details of the captive elephants in the country apart from zoological parks, as reported by the states, are given in Annexure .
- (b) The provisions of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and Guidelines for Care and Management of  Captive Elephants dated 08.01.2008 issued by the Ministry of Environment,  Forest & Climate  Change  (MoEF&CC),  are  in  place  for  safeguard  of  captive  elephants  in  the country.
- (c) No such trend has been reported by the states.
- (d) The  Central  Government  has  issued  guidelines  for  care  and  management  of  captive elephants  in  the  country  on  08.01.2008.  These  guidelines  have  laid  down  norms  for transportation, housing, feed, veterinary care and other norms for care and management of captive elephants in the country.  The Elephant Task Force constituted by the MoEF&CC had submitted a report titled 'Gajah', 2010 wherein various measures for welfare of captive elephant in the country was recommended.

***

## ANNEXURE

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2813 RAISED BY SHRI B. SENGUTTUVAN REGARDING 'ZOOLOGICAL PARKS' DUE FOR REPLY ON 28.12.2018.

Captive Elephant Population in the country

| S.No.   | State          |   Forest Department |   Circus |   Private Individuals |   Temple/Religious Institution |   Total | Date as on   |
|---------|----------------|---------------------|----------|-----------------------|--------------------------------|---------|--------------|
| 1.      | Haryana        |                   3 |        0 |                     0 |                              2 |       5 | 19.06.2015   |
| 2.      | Delhi          |                   0 |        0 |                     8 |                              0 |       8 | 17.06.2015   |
| 3.      | Chhattisgarh   |                   0 |        0 |                     0 |                              0 |       0 | 05.06.2015   |
| 4.      | Kerala         |                  26 |        5 |                   496 |                            157 |     684 | 30.04.2015   |
| 5.      | West Bengal    |                  84 |       24 |                     2 |                              0 |     112 | 26.06.2015   |
| 6.      | Tamil Nadu     |                  49 |        6 |                    39 |                             42 |     141 | 26.06.2015   |
| 7.      | Odisha         |                  10 |        0 |                     0 |                              0 |      21 | 17.07.2015   |
| 8.      | Uttarakhand    |                  11 |        0 |                     8 |                              1 |      20 | 20.07.2015   |
| 9.      | Uttar Pradesh  |                  16 |        0 |                    63 |                              1 |      80 | 03.08.2015   |
| 10.     | Madhya Pradesh |                  55 |        0 |                     2 |                              0 |      57 | 15.07.2015   |
| 11.     | Karnataka      |                 118 |        4 |                     6 |                             43 |     193 | 30.07.2015   |
| 12.     | Rajasthan      |                   0 |        0 |                   132 |                              0 |     132 | 08.07.2015   |
| 13.     | Jharkhand      |                   8 |        0 |                     1 |                              0 |       9 | 19.07.2015   |
| 14.     | Assam          |                 151 |        0 |                  1053 |                              0 |    1204 | 09.07.2015   |
| 15.     | Puducherry     |                   0 |        0 |                     0 |                              2 |       2 | 03.07.2015   |
| 16.     | Bihar          |                   1 |        0 |                    62 |                              0 |      64 | 01.07.2015   |
| 17.     | Meghalaya      |                   1 |        0 |                     9 |                              0 |      10 | 15.07.2015   |
| 18.     | Punjab         |                   0 |        0 |                    13 |                              0 |      17 | 19.05.2015   |
| 19.     | Nagaland       |                   1 |        0 |                    27 |                              0 |      28 | 31.08.2015   |
| 20.     | Gujarat        |                   0 |        6 |                     0 |                             18 |      24 | 14.09.2015   |
|         | Total          |                 534 |       45 |                  1921 |                            266 |    2811 |              |