Kerala is set to unveil an interactive portal on elephants that will monitor their well-being and also feature regular updates on them. The portal, said to be the first of its kind in the country, will be set up by the forest department and owners of captive elephants in the state. Officials said it was an innovative step to ensure the well-being of the pachyderms.
“We recently held discussions with officials of All Kerala Elephant Owners’ Association and briefed them about the advantages of such a portal. The talks proved fruitful and modalities for the portal’s launch are being worked out,” principal chief conservator of forests and head, Kerala Forest Force, T.C.Manoharan told this newspaper.
The forest department and elephant owners’ association will join hands to pool in funds for the launch and maintenance of the portal, it is learnt. All Kerala Elephant Owners’ Association president T.N. Arun Kumar confirmed that discussions were already under way to make the portal a reality.
“We expressed our willingness to participate provided it is actively supported by the government. We’re waiting for further feedback,” Mr Arun Kumar said.
The portal will to provide complete details about all captive elephants in the state including names, age, registration number, height, weight, distinct features, besides the names of their owners address and telephone number. The state today has a captive elephant population of about 1,000.
However, as of now, no central database provides such exhaustive information about them. “Owners can even upload pictures of their elephants on the portal,” Mr Manoharan said.