Two specially designed elephant vehicles with a veterinary team and two support vehicles entered Arunachal Pradesh through Dirk Chaki on the Assam-Arunachal border on Sunday. The vehicles, suspected to belong to the Ambani family’s private wildlife park Bantara in Jamnagar, Gujarat, were heading towards Changkham in Namchai district.
One of the special vehicles carrying the elephants had registration number GJ 10 1-1 Local sources said the vehicles are planned to be loaded from areas near Manbhum and Tengpani reserves. Earlier, several elephants were shifted from Changkham area using similar special vehicles and wildlife protection organizations strongly opposed the move and demanded more transparency in the entire process.
There are serious allegations of political patronage in the whole process. A senior wildlife conservation worker in Tinsukia, who did not wish to be named, alleged that it is impossible to get government approvals and legal certificates required for the relocation of elephants without political support from influential people. He alleged that a newly elected local panchayat leader, known to be close to Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chawna Main, was also involved in the business. Security guards claim that wild elephants are caught from the forest and first snared and then fake documents are created to classify them as privately owned elephants. He alleged that each elephant was bought for Rs 30 lakh and sold to Bantara for Rs 70 lakh after obtaining the necessary legal documents.
A dump truck driver who frequents the Changkham-Alubari road said Mabira village near Paya reserve belongs to a traditional elephant sanctuary that is attached to the Sanpura forest. He said the area has long been known for elephant poaching and trained domesticated elephants are used to capture wild elephants and then domesticate them and smuggle them abroad. Another source said the number of domesticated elephants available for sale in the area is rapidly declining, increasing the risk of illegal poaching of wild elephants. Also, another source in Namchai claims that Bantara has recently hired several local mahouts who have experience with the indigenous elephants of East Arunachal Pradesh in its establishment.
The source also claimed that a team linked to Bantara along with local community leaders recently visited the Changkham area and donated to the Parashuram Kund temple on the occasion of the birth anniversary of a member of the Ambani family. Although the actual purpose of the trip has not been independently confirmed, nature lovers have linked its timing to existing vehicular access to confirm suspicions of a new migration process.
So far, there has been no official response from the authorities regarding the purpose of the entire process. In view of this situation, wildlife conservationists have urged the forest department and other authorities to reveal the true purpose of the vehicle entry and complete the wildlife management or translocation process in accordance with the Wildlife Conservation Act and prescribed scientific norms. At the same time, they are demanding an impartial and independent investigation into the entire business cycle and the process of granting permits for the purchase and transfer of elephants.