Future Dhrubes won't have to die, says park official

KATHMANDU, Dec 23: Despite concerns by environmentalists and wildlife experts against killing Dhrube, the wild elephant that has killed several people around the Chitwan National Park, a dozen gun-toting park staff are hounding him round-the-clock and the news of his death could come anytime. The tusker might eventually die but park officials claim his death will help save the life of future Dhurbes.



"Dhurbe has to be put down as it has already been proved a serial killer and currently we have no mechanism and resources to tame such an elephant," said Megh Bahadur Pandey, director general at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC). "We have learnt a lesson from Dhrbue so this kind of situation should not occur in the future. We have to make sure that no wild animal gets disturbed to this level. Also, we have to be ready with mechanism and resources to make sure that such animals remain safe under special protection," he added.[break]



Pandey further informed that DNPWC has already started working in this direction. "We are seeking to build necessary mechanism and we are also working to impart training to our staff to deal with such situations," he said adding that "Mission Dhurbe" is costing the state millions of rupees per day apart from putting human life in the area at high risk.



Meanwhile, wildlife law expert Dr Ravi Sharma Aryal says no law allows Dhurbe to be killed at all. "As Nepal is signatory and party to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild fauna and Flora), it has to protect the endangered species in any condition," said the CITES law expert. "Even as per the Nepali law, it has not been proved that Dhurbe has lost his mental balance. It would send a positive message internationally if he could be kept in isolation safely."



But DNPWC´s Pandey reiterates that currently the park authorities are not efficient to tame Dhrube. "This year alone Dhurbe has killed eight people. Earlier it killed as many. So legally speaking, the local authorities have the right to put him to death. But one thing is certain that human interference is largely responsible for Dhrube´s present condition, we are so helpless."



While terrorized people in Chitwan have been vehemently demanding for Dhrube´s death since last week, the tusker has overnight earned millions of sympathizers across the globe after some reports attributed his present condition to the fact that he was kept from herd, was deprived of mating rights and was tortured by humans on several occasions.

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