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Sonepur elephant fair in big trouble: The Pioneer
New Delhi, Oct 14: It`s a tradition dating back 2,000 years, the buying and selling of elephants at the Sonepur Mela in Bihar. Famous as the only fair trading in elephants, Sonepur has been patronised for long by royalty and traders across Asia, morphing into an occasion for sports and socialising by the sahebs during the Raj.
New Delhi, Oct 14: It's a tradition dating back 2,000 years, the buying and selling of elephants at the Sonepur Mela in Bihar. Famous as the only fair trading in elephants, Sonepur has been patronised for long by royalty and traders across Asia, morphing into an occasion for sports and socialising by the sahebs during the Raj.
This year, when the mela begins on November 8, tradition will pause. The caravans and celebrations that mark the fair will be subdued, as it loses its main attraction. For the first time in thousands of years, elephants won't be part of the Sonepur Mela because of a ban imposed by the forest department. The department has issued a directive that elephants must not be traded at the Mela this year.
The directive clashes with more than just the Mela's history. Legend says that a elephant while bathing in the river was caught in the jaws of a crocodile. The elephants fought back and the battle continued for years, till the elephant sought the help of Lord Vishnu who came to its rescue.
Haathi Sonepur Mela mein bikuau nahi hai (Elephants not for sale at Sonepur Mela) say posters on the roads leading to Sonepur in Saran. Speaking to The Pioneer, Chief Wildlife Warden Basheer Ahmed Khan said, "The ban on elephant sale at the mela is in accordance with the recent amendment in the Wildlife Protection Act." He explained that Section 43(1) of the Act bans the transfer of ownership - except by inheritance - by way of sale or any other mode of commercial nature any captive animal or its trophy which is listed under Schedule I or II under the Act.
Elephant owners, who have already started congregating with their animals, are outraged and threaten to defy the ban. Khan knows the clash is inevitable, but says there is nothing they can do about an amendment to an Act by Parliament. "Elephants will not be allowed to be sold this year," Khan asserted. The Sonepur Mela Haathi Bazaar Owner's Association has reportedly taken the forest department to the Patna High Court over the issue and case will be heard on October 15.
The association is known to fight dirty, besides wielding considerable political influence. Besides, they have the support of the locals for whom this is an emotive issue. They fear that breaking an age-old tradition will be catastrophic. For the forest officials, the amendment offers an answer to the pressing problem for the mela being used to trade in elephants caught in the wild, under the guise of being captive born and bred, which was till now allowed by law. This illegal trade depletes the endangered wild population of pachyderms in the country.
The debate also brings to fore the issue of animal rights. "The animals are chained for days together sometimes by spikes. Even the babies are chained on all four legs," said one animal rights activist.
The directive clashes with more than just the Mela's history. Legend says that a elephant while bathing in the river was caught in the jaws of a crocodile. The elephants fought back and the battle continued for years, till the elephant sought the help of Lord Vishnu who came to its rescue.
Haathi Sonepur Mela mein bikuau nahi hai (Elephants not for sale at Sonepur Mela) say posters on the roads leading to Sonepur in Saran. Speaking to The Pioneer, Chief Wildlife Warden Basheer Ahmed Khan said, "The ban on elephant sale at the mela is in accordance with the recent amendment in the Wildlife Protection Act." He explained that Section 43(1) of the Act bans the transfer of ownership - except by inheritance - by way of sale or any other mode of commercial nature any captive animal or its trophy which is listed under Schedule I or II under the Act.
Elephant owners, who have already started congregating with their animals, are outraged and threaten to defy the ban. Khan knows the clash is inevitable, but says there is nothing they can do about an amendment to an Act by Parliament. "Elephants will not be allowed to be sold this year," Khan asserted. The Sonepur Mela Haathi Bazaar Owner's Association has reportedly taken the forest department to the Patna High Court over the issue and case will be heard on October 15.
The association is known to fight dirty, besides wielding considerable political influence. Besides, they have the support of the locals for whom this is an emotive issue. They fear that breaking an age-old tradition will be catastrophic. For the forest officials, the amendment offers an answer to the pressing problem for the mela being used to trade in elephants caught in the wild, under the guise of being captive born and bred, which was till now allowed by law. This illegal trade depletes the endangered wild population of pachyderms in the country.
The debate also brings to fore the issue of animal rights. "The animals are chained for days together sometimes by spikes. Even the babies are chained on all four legs," said one animal rights activist.