(Image source from: Indiansingulf.in)

India has 2454 domesticated elephants out of which 1000 are in Assam, 500 in Kerala, and 300 in Tamil Nadu.

The Wildlife Institue of India is collecting the DNA of the elephants across all states in India so that a unique identification number like the Aadhar could be assigned to them.

This unique number for each of the elephants is to protect them from abuse, poaching, and any other atrocities done to them.

At present, the data of these elephants are being conducted after which the further process will be done to ensure safety.

India has a total of 2454 domesticated elephants and the exercise is being conducted under the ‘Project Elephant’ to allocate the unique identification numbers to the domestic elephants across India.

Out of the 2,454 jumbo elephants, 560 are with the forest departments, 1809 are with in the private custody, and 86 are spread across the zoos in different states.

Out of the elephants that are in the private custody, 1687 belong to the individuals and the rest of them are with the circuses and religious institutions.

Last year, the Uttarakhand high court had banned the practice of using red chilies and chilly bombs to divert the elephants away from their tracks.

A Public Interest Litigation was also filed by a Noida-based non-government called the Independent Medical Initiative Society.

The petition was filed as the non-government organization felt that the forest department instead of protecting the human atrocities against the elephants along the roads passing through these elephant corridors, it is trying to control the movement of the elephants using cruel means like feeding the jumbos with chilli powder filled flour balls, putting chilli powder filled bags at the end of the road and firing shots to keep the elephants away from passing through their dedicated corridor.

- By Gayatri Yellayi