The Upper Assam forest is home to a robust elephant smuggling ring

• Image Credit: Northeast Now

• Sep 2, 2022 | Kabir Chakraborty

'Joymala' was taken to the Tamil Naidu temple in 2008. Elephants are kept in South Indian temples by the majority of temple management for rituals and to attract tourists. color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">

color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">Digital Desk: The
tragic story of Assam elephant 'Joymala' in Tamil Nadu's Srivilliputhur
Nachiyar Thirukovil temple facing human atrocities has once again shed light on
elephants being smuggled out of Assam. According to reports, the elephant
'Joymala' was originally owned by Green Moran of Kasijan Gaon in Kakopathar,
Upper Assam Tinsukia district.

color:black;mso-themecolor:text1;background:#F8F9FA">According to sources,
elephants are mostly smuggled from Assam-Arunachal Pradesh forests and
transported to other states with the assistance of corrupt forest officials. A
video of a woman crying and confessing that the elephant 'Joymala' belongs to
them went viral on social media, and how a man from Borhapjan, Doomdooma
convinced them to sell their elephant to him. 'Joymala' was taken to the Tamil
Naidu temple in 2008. Elephants are kept in South Indian temples by the
majority of temple management for rituals and to attract tourists.

mso-themecolor:text1;background:#F8F9FA">In recent years, more than 47
elephants have been smuggled out of Doomdooma Division. Elephant smuggling has
been going on behind closed doors, hand in glove with forest officials.
"Wildlife smugglers illegally capture elephants in the forests of
Arunachal Pradesh and Assam and keep them secretly for a few days before
selling them to other states," said a source. Mumtaj Siddique, the kingpin
of the elephant smuggling ring, was apprehended in Tinsukia in 2016.

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mso-themecolor:text1;background:#F8F9FA">According to sources, Mumtaj Siddique
is still running the elephant smuggling business through his son. His son has
taken over his father's illegal business of capturing wild elephants in the
Assam-Arunachal Pradesh jungles. "They are running the illegal nexus in a
very organised manner. Sometimes they act as a middleman, buying elephants from
people who domesticate wild elephants and selling them to temples for a high
price "a source went on to say

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mso-themecolor:text1;background:#F8F9FA">Meanwhile, the Assam government has
decided to send a team to Tamil Nadu to inspect Joymala's condition. According
to environmentalist Devojit Moran, "According to Joymala's story, an
elephant smuggling racket has been active in Assam's forest, and wildlife
smugglers are sending elephants to other states by forging documents. Elephants
have been smuggled out of the Doomdooma forest division in recent years. In
2016, we conducted an investigation and discovered that elephants were being
smuggled from the Assam forest in a systematic manner."

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mso-themecolor:text1;background:#F8F9FA">"We urged the government to take
immediate steps to bring Joymala to Assam and to stop elephant smuggling,"
he said. "We are heartbroken to learn of Joymala's plight in temple
captivity. The elephant is subjected to human cruelty. No elephant should be
treated in this manner. The government should take the necessary steps to
prohibit elephant transport in Assam "He continued.

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