Wildlife Groups Question Assam Elephant Transfer to Madurai Temple

Guwahati: An elephant named Durga arrived at the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai at 1:30 am following a long transit from Assam. Officials moved the animal out of Manas National Park on September 7. Sonali Ghosh, the park director, supervised the removal. Conservationists are not happy. The Aranya Suraksha Samiti is now demanding full disclosure on her ownership, age, and origin.

Paperwork moved fast. Tamil Nadu officials sent a request to the Assam Forest Department at 1:30 pm on September 4. Assam authorities replied by 9 pm that same day. The state then fast-tracked the transfer. Records officially list Durga at five years and six months old. The Aranya Suraksha Samiti disputes this claim. They want inspectors to check her history in the Guijan area of Tinsukia.

Punya Pegu of Guijan originally brought the elephant to Manas. The group questions how a calf that young could legally leave its mother. They want all veterinary records from Tinsukia released. The Aranya Suraksha Samiti claims a financial transaction drove the deal. They allege the sale happened under the direction of Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Binay Gupta. "The organisation has called for Durga's veterinary records from Tinsukia to be examined to establish her actual age and trace her ownership and movement history," a spokesperson stated.

Critics demand the state forest minister release all transfer permissions and legal documents. The group estimates that more than 1,200 elephants from Assam currently reside outside the state. They claim 870 of those are definitely from Assam. Activists say this transfer is part of a larger pattern. They argue the authorities must prove these moves comply with wildlife regulations.