Target: Bhupender Yadav, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, New Delhi, India.
Goal: Ensure a transparent, time-bound probe into reportedly unlawful elephant acquisitions and, if violations are substantiated, impose maximum legal penalties, revoke any offending permits, and secure humane protections for all affected animals.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to examine alleged irregularities in the acquisition and housing of animals—particularly elephants—at a prominent rescue and rehabilitation facility. This court-mandated inquiry will assess compliance with the Wildlife (Protection) Act and other applicable laws while reviewing how animals were purportedly obtained from India and abroad. These developments arose from allegations that, if true, would represent serious breaches of welfare and conservation safeguards.
The allegations focus on whether animals, including highly social elephants, were moved or retained in ways inconsistent with legal requirements and humane standards. Transfers of elephants can reportedly involve long-distance transport, forced confinement, and separation from bonded companions—conditions that can cause profound physical and psychological stress. The SIT has been tasked with determining whether mandated protocols, permits, and veterinary oversight were fully honored or whether corners were cut.
Robust enforcement is essential to deter future misconduct. A clear, public accounting—paired with swift corrective action if wrongdoing is confirmed—would help ensure legality, transparency, and animal welfare throughout India’s conservation landscape. Sign below to demand full ministerial cooperation with the SIT; an audit of recent permits and transfers; a temporary pause on new acquisitions by implicated entities; and, where evidence supports it, prosecutions, fines, permit revocations, and independent monitoring of animal care. These measures would protect elephants and other animals while restoring public trust.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Minister Yadav,
A Special Investigation Team has been tasked with examining alleged irregularities in the acquisition and keeping of animals—particularly elephants—at a well-known facility. As reported, this probe centers on possible non-compliance with the Wildlife (Protection) Act and other statutes governing how animals may be obtained from India and abroad.
Given the gravity of the allegations, we respectfully urge your Ministry to cooperate fully with the SIT and to ensure the process is transparent, time-bound, and insulated from external influence. Elephants are sentient, social beings, and any reportedly unlawful transfers or improper holdings would inflict significant suffering and undermine India’s conservation commitments.
If the SIT substantiates violations, we ask that you pursue maximum penalties allowed by law, revoke any offending licenses or permits, and require independent welfare monitoring and sanctuary-level care for affected animals. Pending the SIT’s conclusions, please also initiate an immediate audit of recent permits and transfers and temporarily suspend new acquisitions by any entity under scrutiny. These actions would demonstrate zero tolerance for cruelty or illegality and reinforce India’s leadership in wildlife protection.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Venkat Ragavan
