Agartala (Tripura) [India], May 2 : The intervention of the High Court of Tripura paved the way for the rescue of a female elephant and its calf allegedly facing cruelty at the hands of the owners.
The High Court has directed the forest department to hand over the custody of the victim animals to the Radha Krishna Temple Elephant Welfare Trust (RKTEWT) to protect them from the atrocities being meted out to them.
"As per the direction of the High Court of Tripura, the elephant and her calf were rescued and handed over to the authorities of the temple welfare trust. The High Court division bench also directed the petitioner to file separate complaints with the High Power committee formed to look after the welfare of captive elephants all over the country if any grievances remained unaddressed," petitioner and advocate Paramita Sen told ANI.
Sen is also an animal welfare activist and holds the position of secretary of the Society for Welfare of Animal and Nature (SWAN), an NGO. She appeared in the Court in connection with the case.
During the hearing of the case, the Court came to know that the sixty-year-old female elephant was suffering from multiple health problems. Apart from that, she was also forced to work for the commercial interests of the owners and was always deprived of enough fodder and space for rest.
Moreover, her calf was also suffering from similar problems.
"There were sores on her body. She was also suffering from stiffness in her foot. One of the front legs was fractured due to menial tasks she had to perform which is completely against the law," Sen informed ANI.
She also said that the owner of the captive animal--Aktar Uddin Sheikh--also didn't possess the legal rights to keep the elephants as the license issued by the forest department expired long back. Earlier, advocate Sen wrote letters to the state animal welfare board, Animal Resource Development Department and Forest Department asking for measures to protect the elephants.
"At the age of 60, the elephant was found to be pregnant. A special team of doctors from the temple trust visited the place after they were informed about the brutal torture of the captive jumbo and its calf. They have told us that she could only be treated well if she could be shifted to the temple trust's main facility where world-class treatment is available for them. Fortunately, the High Court's intervention resolved the problems," Sen told ANI.