Co-operative society for elephants, owners

Thrissur, Sept 3: If human beings can form societies to meet their demands, why cann't jumbos? The elephant owners and lovers in the cultural city of Kerala have come up with a society with an aim to ensure the complete welfare of elephants, mahouts, owners, doctors and its lovers.

The society, ''Elephant Owners Multipurpose Co-operative Society'', have formed here with an initial membership of one hundred elephant owners in the city and a working capital of Rs five lakh.

''The recent frequent death of elephants in road accidents and in disease prompted us to think about starting such a society,'' says its president T M Sunder Menon.

''The main purpose of opening the society is to ensure the welfare of elephants, mahouts, owners, veterinary doctors, elephants lovers and its well wishers,'' he told UNI.

More than 700 elephants, 2,000 mahouts, 50 veterinarians, 450 owners, besides more than 8,000 well wishers would come under the society activities, he said.

Lack of modern treatment facility, unscientific elephant keeping, exploitation and non availability of sufficient food cause suffering to the elephants, owners and veterinarians, he pointed out.

Mr Menon said the first priority of the society would be to make available treatment facilities to elephants, as recently many elephants had died without getting proper and timely expert treatment after they met with accidents.

The society would purchase a mobile hospital unit, equipped with all modern facilities, including a crane, to meet any emergency, particularly during accidents. Veterinarians could travel to treat sick or injured animals unable to be moved, even in remote areas, he said.

On future activities and plans of the society, he said, ''we wanted to set up a super speciality hospital, with all modern treatment facilities, including the facility to treat elephants as inpatients.''

Mr Menon said the society already has a membership of 100 elephant owners. The cost per share was stipulated to Rs 1,000. A jumbo owner can take as many shares as he wishes. However, he would be eligible for only one vote, he added. In the coming days, more elephant owners across the state would come under the society, he said.

The functioning and rules of the society would be like a primary co-operative society and accordingly it would also accept deposits from public, he said, adding as the society would be under the control of the government, the deposits would have full security.

Since the society was under the control of the state government, it could approach the government for benefits, he added.

Though various organisations associated with elephants were functioning in the state, forming of such a kind of a society was the first of its kind in the country, he claimed.

Though the objective of the society would be to look after the grievances of elephants owned by private owners, it would also give memberships to temple trustees, says T T Joseph, Chief promoter of the society.

Mr Joseph said there were around 700 captive elephants in the state and a majority of them were seen in Thrissur district. In due course, all elephant owners would become its members.

On the future plans of the society, Mr Menon said the society proposes to set up an industrial unit for making paper, pulp and paper bags from elephant waste (elephant dung).

Another major proposal of the society is to organise ''gajamelas'' and 'elephant safaris' to attract foreign as well as domestic tourists, large scale cultivation of grass and palm leaves, setting up a training institute for mahouts, establishing an Elephant Research Centre to study about elephants, setting up a shelter to keep elephants during their 'madappad' and rest.

It also proposes to set up a cremation ground for elephants with the support from the government as burying an elephant was one of the major problems faced by the owners and for setting up a special centre for protection and procreation of elephants also with government assistance.

Mr Menon said it would also provide loans to its members for purchasing and keeping elephants and bring all those associated with elephants under an insurance protection.

He also said the society would urge the Forest Department to implement a project fixing micro chips to identify all elephants in the state and the necessary cooperation in this regard would be given by it and the elephant owners.

UNI