Question : MISSING ELEPHANTS

(a) whether the Government has received reports of deaths/missing of elephants from the license owners/mahouts in the recent past;

(b) if so, the details thereof along with the number of elephants recovered so far and the action taken against the responsible persons, separately;

(c) whether the Government is aware of the Public Interest Litigation filed in the Supreme Court to curb accidental deaths of elephants;

(d) if so, the names of the State Governments to whom directives have been issued by the Government to stop accidental death of elephants and the outcome thereof; and

(e) whether a high growth of elephant population has been reported in some of the States, if so, the details thereof and the steps proposed to be taken to control the same?

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT, FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)

(a) No report regarding missing elephants from the license owners/mahouts has been received in the Ministry in the recent past.

(b) Does not arise.

(c) Yes sir. Writ Petition No. 107 of year 2013 is filed in the Hon’ble Supreme Court to take steps to minimize deaths of elephants due to train accidents.

(d) No directive has been issued in the case by Hon’ble Supreme Court so far.

(e) As per elephant population survey carried out in 2007 and 2012, increase in elephant population has been recorded in the States of Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Nagaland, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. The Government do not propose to control population of wild elephants in the country.