Sudden death of 18 Asian Elephants in Assam
Recently 18 elephants died suddenly in Assam. The Assam government has decided to conduct a forensic examination of elephants to find out the exact cause of their death.
The background
- Some time ago 18 elephants were found dead in the Kothiatoli forest area in the Naugaon district of Assam state. Initially, it was said about the death of these elephants that they died due to the Electric current. But some wildlife experts began to doubt this. He speculated that poisoning them may be one of the reasons why such a large number of elephants die because elephants have been seen to die in Assam earlier due to poisoning.
- In view of this, the Government of Assam State has decided to conduct a forensic investigation into the death of these 18
- Due to unplanned development in the state of Assam, the forest areas are getting reduced due to which many times elephants come towards human habitats. Due to which human-animal conflict is increasing.
Asian Elephants
- It is the largest terrestrial mammal on the Asian continent. They are inhabited by dry forests and grasslands spread over 13 countries in South and Southeast Asia, including India.
- The Asian elephant is listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List.
- There are three species of Asian elephants – Indian elephants, Sumatran elephants, and Sri Lankan elephants.
Indian Elephant
- The Indian government has declared the elephant as a national heritage animal. The Indian elephant is listed in Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, The Indian elephant is also listed in Schedule-I of the CMS Agreement at the 13th Convention (COP-13) of the Convention on the Protection of Migratory Species (COP-13), held in February 2020 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
- It was passed in 1972 for the protection of wildlife. The main objective of this act is to stop the illegal hunting of wildlife, trade of meat and hides.
About the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and it’s Red List
- The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) was established in the year It is a global authority to preserve the natural state of the world. It is headquartered in Switzerland. IUCN is a consortium consisting of both governments and civil society.
- The stated goal of the IUCN is to help find practical solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental and developmental challenges.
- The IUCN publishes the Red List of Animals, based on information obtained from a network of various conservation organizations around the world, which shows the most threatened species in the world.
Source – Indian Express
