Elephant to be declared national heritage animal: Jairam
August 31st, 2010 - 4:02 pm ICT by IANSNew Delhi, Aug 31 (IANS) Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh Tuesday said the elephant would soon be declared a national heritage animal in order to step up measures for its protection.
“We will soon declare elephant as a national heritage animal as they have been part of our heritage since ages. We need to give same degree of importance to elephant as is given to tiger in order to protect the big animal,” said Ramesh.
The Elephant Task Force Tuesday submitted its report to the ministry. It lays out a comprehensive action agenda for protecting elephants in the wild and in captivity, and for addressing human-elephant conflict.
The report by the 12-member committee also called for setting up of a statutory agency National Elephant Conservation Authority (NECA) on the lines of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), with a substantial enhancement in the budgetary outlay.
“We need to amend the Wildlife Protection Act in order to set up NECA. We will introduce it (amendment) in the winter session of parliament,” he said.
There are about 25,000 elephants in the country with 3,500 in captivity. India is home to 60 percent of elephants in Asia.
India started Project Elephant in 1992 to provide financial and technical support to the elephant range states in India for the protection of jumbos, their habitat and corridors and address issues of human-animal conflict.
–Indo-Asian News service
ric/rah/dg
- Elephant declared national heritage animal - Oct 22, 2010
- Jairam Ramesh launches 'Haathi Mere Saathi' campaign - May 24, 2011
- Panel for phased curbs on captive elephants - Aug 31, 2010
- Centre's decision to confer 'National Heritage' status on elephants welcomed - Oct 29, 2010
- Wild life group writes to Ramesh over jumbo killings (Lead) - Feb 15, 2011
- Sri Lanka mulls elephant conservation centre - May 04, 2012
- Give elephants their space, urges Madhuri - Jul 21, 2011
- Paddy comes to rescue of elephants in Arunanchal - May 21, 2012
- Uttarakhand's killer tusker evades death - Jan 11, 2012
- Human-elephant conflict on the rise in Assam - May 17, 2012
- Jairam seeks more efforts for tigers in Orissa reserve - Jun 30, 2011
- Task force set up for conservation of jumbos - Feb 12, 2010
- Iron, coal mining biggest threat to elephants in India - May 24, 2011
- E-eye to keep a tab on tigers in Corbett - Apr 23, 2012
- Cabinet gives nod to cheetahs, more funds for Project Tiger - Aug 12, 2011
Tags: action agenda, asian news, conservation authority, elephant conservation, elephant range, heritage animal, jairam ramesh, jumbos, national heritage, neca, ntca, project elephant, range states, service ric, states in india, statutory agency, substantial enhancement, tiger conservation, wildlife protection act, winter session