INDIA’S AFRICAN JUMBOS

ChinmayaIAS Academy - Current Affairs May 22, 2023 Environmental Issues Leave a comment 136 Views

The Zoo officials at Delhi and Mysuru are grappling to find mate for the only two African elephants in the country.
African Elephants are the largest land mammals and are different from Asian elephants.
Besides availability the mating of these elephants involves monetary, legal, logistical and importantly, ethical considerations.
There are only two African elephants in India i.e., Shankar at Delhi Zoo and Richie at Mysuru Zoo.
In 2021, a petition was moved in the Delhi High Court seeking Shankar’s relocation to a sanctuary that houses other African elephants.
In July last year, the High court said that it would not permit taking the elephant to South Africa and that possibility of importing a female elephant should be explored.
The relocation of the elephant to a national park or sanctuary in India is not possible due to:
Its different evolutionary history and genesis from the Asian elephant
Different habitat and environment conditions
It being an alien species for Indian habitats.
Since the African elephants have a strong social structure and familiar ties, importing a single female in the group may cause psychological stress.
Efforts are being made to acquire at least two unrelated, compatible females with one sub-adult male to augment genetic variability.
Besides approvals from the Central Zoo Authority and the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, importing an animal would require a CITES permit.
CITES refers to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, a multilateral treaty.