People for Animals Uttarakhand

Type Public Charitable Trust under Indian Registration Act, 1908.
Focus Animal rights, Environmentalism
Location
  • Dehradun, Uttarakhand

People for Animals (PFA) Uttarakhand is a unit of India’s largest animal rights organization People for Animals, started by Maneka Gandhi in 1992.[1] It was registered in 2010 as a charitable trust with trustees including Ruskin Bond (Chairperson), Victor Bannerjee, Peter McLaughlin, Dev Lahiri, Vinita Kumar, Manu Sabharwal, Rakesh Oberoi (Treasurer) and Gauri Maulekhi (Member Secretary). [2]

Till 2010, People for Animals in Uttarakhand was focusing on an animal shelter in Dehradun and animal rescue.[3] With Gauri Maulekhi at the fore front, PFA Uttarakhand has now become an effective pressure group in bringing about environment and animal-friendly legislation.

PFA Uttarakhand has been at the fore front in various animal rights issues in Uttarakhand including raising awareness about the plight of animals during the 2013 floods in Uttarakhand[4][5] where the PFA Uttarakhand team was the only animal organization to have set foot in the most devastated areas of the calamity including Rambara and Kedarnath. Pashubali (animal sacrifice) on large scale has been eradicated from 25 temples and fairs in the state under the initiative and persistence of PFA Uttarakhand,[6] such as the Bhukhal Mela, where hundreds of buffaloes were slaughtered for religious purposes in a single day and left to rot.[7] PFA Uttarakhand also deals with animal issues in the state such as battery cages,[8] bird sellers, dog breeding[9] and cruelty; poaching, encroachment and mismanagement at Corbett Tiger Reserve[10] and Rajaji National Park,[11] emu farming,[12] cow slaughter,[13] circuses, elephants,[14] deforestation, the monkey population,[15] illegal meat shops, police training and farming of exotic animals such as Japanese Quail.[16]

Areas of involvement

Animal sacrifice

Bhukhal Mela

Every year Bhukhal Kalinka Temple, Thalisain, Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand witnessed hundreds of animals being sacrificed. In July 2010 Maneka Gandhi heralded the anti-animal sacrifice campaign by PFA in Uttarakhand. Within 18 months of pushing the anti-animal sacrifice campaign, on 26 November 2011 not a single animal was sacrificed during the infamous Bhukhal Mela in Pauri Garhwal in Uttarakhand.[17]

On 14 December 2010 a PIL (number 73) was filed by Gauri Maulekhi in the High Court of Uttarakhand. In response to the PIL the High Court of Uttarakhand on 19 December 2011 the High Court of Uttarakhand ordered that no animal is to be killed in public view and no carcass may be left on any land public or private – ‘We, accordingly, conclude the matter and direct the State and its agencies to ensure that no destruction / killing / sacrifice of any nature of any animal takes place outside a registered or licensed slaughter house, if such destruction / killing / sacrifice is to take place in any city, town or urban or semi-urban areas of the State, which areas are within the jurisdiction of municipalities or other local authorities, and to ensure that the purpose of such destruction / killing / sacrifice is to arrange food for mankind and for no other purpose.’[18]

Other

People for Animals Uttarakhand visited various temples and held public awareness meetings, lodged FIRs against temple committees and individuals and sent reminders to the administration. The efforts led to the effective abolition of "pashubali" at Santala Devi in Dehradun, Devidhura and Purnagiri in Champawat, Chaiti Mela in Udham Singh Nagar, Simli in Chamoli, Naina Devi temple in Nainital,[19] Top Mandir in Chamoli, Ali Manjhari in Chamoli,[20] Chitai Temple in Almora, Kalinka Tample in Bageshwar, Bhauna Devi Temple in Almora, Mahakali Temple in Gangolihat Pithoragarh, Mahakali Temple in Daundiyukhal Pauri, Nanda Devi Temple in Chamoli, Bhadrakali Temple in Dehradun, Dat Kali Temple in Dehradun, Santala Devi in Dehradun and Mansari Temple in Pauri.

2013 Uttarakhand floods

On 22 June, a joint team from People for Animals and Humane Society International began rescue efforts to save the animals affected by the torrential rains and landslides in the Kedarnath valley.[5][21] After PFA chairperson Maneka Gandhi talked to the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Command, Lt-Gen Anil Chait, the army agreed to provide a troop to assist People for Animals in the rescue of the stranded animals by constructing a bridge strong enough for mules to cross at Sonprayag, opening up a crucial land route for stranded mules to be brought out.[22]

Two members from PFA Uttarakhand including Gauri Maulekhi went to Kedarnath to get a first-hand account of the situation,[23] the only members from any animal organization to have visited the area during the initial days of the calamity. PFA Uttarakhand member secretary Gauri Maulekhi exposed with first-hand information collected from the affected areas how the State Government, district administration and Animal Husbandry Department had entirely ignored the animals affected in the region the apathy of the Government towards the stranded working animals which amounts to crores of rupees invested by locals.[24][25] People for Animals, Uttarakhand member secretary Gauri Maulekhi worked with volunteers, locals and the Army to rescue about 2,000 stranded animals.[24] Maulekhi said, "Even after stranded people have been rescued, the authorities have left thousands of animals to fend for themselves on isolated pockets in the mountains surrounded by deadly landslides or treacherous currents. The Uttarakhand High Court in April this year had set a cap of 4,500 mules in Kedarnath area, but corrupt officials allowed over 10,000 mules between Gaurikund and Kedarnath on the day of the calamity. No Government veterinarian was available in the affected areas till July 3. " she said. People for Animals Uttarakhand revealed how the government was charging the standard fees even during the calamity.[26]

By 20 July there were fewer than 100 stranded animals as confirmed by the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in the Kedarnath area as most had died due to starvation and unattended injuries. The animals had been stuck for more than a month in Bhimbali, Rambara, Ghingorpani and Jangalchatti. PFA Uttarakhand went back a second time to Rambara Bazaar and Ghingorpani to evacuate the remaining mules which was followed by another team evacuating mules from Jangalchatti.

Cattle smuggling

People for Animals Uttarakhand has caught various cattle smugglers and confiscated hundreds of animals from areas such as Rishikesh, Almora, Dehradun, Ramnagar, Udham Singh Nagar, Chota Rampur, Sahaspur . Cases are filed against all cattle smugglers.[27][28][29]

Cattle markets

Landhaura

People for Animals Uttarakhand inspected the illegal cattle market at Landhaura in Haridwar district from where 1000 bulls get smuggled across the border every week for slaughter in Uttar Pradesh. A case under Section 6 of the Uttarakhand Cow and its Progeny Protection Act, 2007 was registered against the main offenders.[30][31]

Sahaspur

People for Animals Uttarakhand raided the Sahaspur Cattle market in Dehradun district upon repeated complaints received by locals. The then contractor Praveen Agrawal was named in an FIR registered at the Sahaspur Thana the previous year by People for Animals Uttarakhand. Praveen Agrawal surrendered his contract.[32]

Mohan Cattle Fair

Held at Mohan since 1978, this fair allowed farmers from the plains to bring their young cattle and sell it to the hill people, and the people from kumaon, to bring the ‘ready to work bulls’ down, for sale to the tarai farmers. Complaints were received that anyone could enter the fair and buy bulls for whatever purpose. Maneka Gandhi-led People for Animals, had lodged protests against the manner in which animals were being handled at the fair. [33]

Inspections

Elephant inspections

In 2012 an inspection of private captive elephants in and around Corbett National Park was done by Gauri Maulekhi, Member-Secretary PFA Uttarakhand, on the directives of the National Tiger Conservation Authority. Blatant violations were revealed and the Project Elephant guidelines were found to have been completely been ignored.

This was the first survey done in Uttarakhand since the Project Elephant guidelines had been launched by the Ministry of Environment and Forests. It was disclosed that the way captive elephants were kept around Corbett violated various laws. A visually impaired elephant was found to work on commercial rides on NH-12.[34] While injured and diseased elephants were being made to work, their general health conditions were horrible. Housing, too, was not up to the mark and even legal status of these captive elephants was a question mark. Majority of the animals were being bathed once or twice a week. This has led to dryness and accumulation of dirt over their skin, furthermore leading to parasitic infestation.[35][36]

Consequently, the pachyderms were rehabilitated. [37]

Dehradun Bhandari Bagh slaughter house inspection

Dehradun Bhandari Bagh slaughter house, the only licensed slaughter house in Dehradun was given a surprise visit on the 14.12.2011. According to the Slaughter House Rules 2001 framed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 which lay down how a slaughter house has to be built and operated, the Bhandari Bagh Slaughter House violated the rules on every single count.[38]

Malsi Deer Park Inspection

Violations of the Recognition of Zoo Rules, 2009 and Guidelines of the Central Zoo Authority at the Malsi Deer Park, Dehradun. Insufficient space for animals, illegal solitary confinement, exposure to provocation, injury and annoyance, filthy living conditions, insufficient veterinary help, absence of standoff barriers and display of infirm/injured animals are just a few.[39][40]

Chicken farm inspections

An inspection of hen farms was carried out in Dehradun and the surrounding districts with the Chief Veterinary Officer. The appalling condition of the farms was made public through the media.[41]

Animals in laboratories

Himalayan Institute of Medical Science

28 specimens of Highly Endangered species such as Russel’s Viper, King Cobra, Spectacled Cobra, Cat Snake, Common Krait, Black scorpion etc. were found in the Toxicology lab/Museum of the Institute. The People for Animals Organisation, Uttarakhand has lodged an FIR recently against the Director of Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences (HIMS) for promoting and encouraging foul practices and criminally neglecting the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.[42][43]

The Forest Department has now sealed the lab and has initiated action against a head of department after 28 snakes, three scorpions and one bat were rescued from the lab.[44]

Government College in Bageshwar

Under the Right to Information Act, People For Animals, Uttarakhand member secretary Gauri Maulekhi procured a list of all specimens accumulated by the Kumaun Kesari Pandit Badri Datt Pandey Government PG College in Bhageshwar revealing the specimens included various creatures protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. An inquiry was directed into the acquisition of the specimens by the college. The role of the divisional forest staff who failed to act in this matter was also inquired into. All divisional forest officers were directed to investigate similar cases in their divisions.[45]

Honey Singh's concert cancelled

A planned concert on the 15th of May by singer Honey Singh to mark the inauguration of a resort adjoining Corbett tiger reserve was cancelled on Monday night following opposition from People for Animals.[46]

Train accidents in Rajaji National Park

Numerous animals died on the tracks of Rajaji National Park during February 2013. An inquiry conducted by team PFA revealed that these sleepers were the root cause because of which the animals kept running on the track instead of getting off when a train approaches. The team attempted to create passages for animals between the sleepers but the effort was largely symbolic as there were thousands of these lying haphazardly on both sides.

In a letter to the Chief Engineer, Northern Railways, PFA Uttarakhand, asked the Railway authorities to remove the concrete sleepers at the earliest. People for Animals threatened to stage a demonstration on the affected railway track. The sleepers were removed from the 10 km stretch of rail.[47]

Animal birth control

A public interest litigation was filed by Gauri Maulekhi vs State of Uttarakhand & Others on 31 December 2012 regarding Animal Birth Control. In regard to this PIL The Chief Justice of the High Court Hon’ble Barin Ghosh made the verdict that the state government and the District Magistrates of all the 13 districts of the State are directed to ensure that no one carries on dog breeding activity without permission granted under the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001.[48]

Dog shows

Dog shows in Dehradun had involved dogs with cropped ears and docked tails which was an offence under Section 11 (l) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 as exposed by PFA Uttarakhand. In a letter to state DGP Satyavrat Bansal and Dehradun District Magistrate B. V. R. C. Purushottam, member secretary of the PFA Gauri Maulekhi said such dog shows were in a blatant violation of animal welfare laws and needed to be stopped at the earliest. It was also revealed how no organizer had obtained a certificate of registration from the Animal Welfare Board of India.[49]

Raids and rescues

Inamullah Building

People for Animals Uttarakhand videotaped the Shalimar Hotel Lane of Inamullahh Building on Gandhi road and found mass slaughter of animals. The authorities were informed and action was requested under the Slaughter House Rules, 2001 framed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and other laws such as the Biomedical Waste Handling and Management Rules, 1998 and the Indian Penal Code. Gauri Maulekhi also brought to light that the SHO Kotwali, Dehradun, SSP Dehradun, DIG Dehradun, IG (Law and Order) Uttarakhand and the DGP Uttarakhand were aware about the illegal slaughter of animals and had categorically refused to stop the illegal slaughter.[50]

Other

People for Animals assists various other animal organizations in conducting raids such as the Uttarakhand Forest Department and the Wildlife Trust of India.[51]

Emu farming Ponzi scam

Gauri Maulekhi drew the government attention to emu farms cropping up in Uttarakhand and urged that the government conduct an inspection and take stringent action accordingly.[52]

For the last three months, a team from People For Animals have been going round Uttarakhand checking emu farms. Many farmers were found ruined with emus being left to die.[53]

Farming of Japanese Quail

After intervention from People for Animals Uttarakhand the Gobind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, has stopped the breeding and selling of Japanese Quail. When the college stopped breeding the birds they sought the help of the Uttarakhand Forest Department to rehabilitate the birds. The Uttarakhand Forest Department remained apathetic. People for Animals had to intervene and requested the Chief Wildlife Warden in Uttarakhand to facilitate rehabilitation of the birds through the Wildlife Institute of India or issue a permit in writing to shelter the birds through the Chief Veterinary Officer.[54][55]

Macaques

Shiv Ranta Kendra Temple on Mussoorie Road

People for Animals Uttarakhand complained to the District Magistrate of Dehradun and to the member secretary of Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board about the problems caused by improper garbage disposal. In an investigation the Shiv Ranta Kendra Temple on Mussoorie Road was found to be dumping their waste on the adjacent hill attracting macaques. This in turn increased the man animal conflict in the busy area. The temple also hired men to get rid of the macaques who often resorted to violent means.[56]

Opposition to proposed monkey sterilization centers

The government of Uttarakhand had planned to tackle the increasing conflict between man and monkeys by conducting sterilizations. An amount of one crore to set up two centers in Kumaon and Garhwal had been allocated. The sterilisation plan was opposed by wildlife activities and People For Animals members who had pointed out that this method had failed to resolve the human-simian conflict in Delhi and Himachal Pradesh. PFA chairperson Maneka Gandhi had also criticised the Uttarakhand Forest department’s plan for constructing centers for sterilising monkeys to reduce human-monkey conflict.[57]

Animal rights and welfare in Corbett National Park

Public interest litigation

PFA Uttarakhand member secretary Gauri Maulekhi filed a Public Interest Litigation requesting the High Court to direct the State government to initiate action against the Corbett director and principal chief conservator of forests (Wildlife) for attempting to cover up at least one confirmed case of tiger poaching; to quash the government order appointing the chief wildlife warden on backɡdate; to direct the State to investigate the case of the death of five male elephants in Corbett tiger reserve and to issue appropriate directions for deployment of Special Tiger Protection Force without delay to prevent rampant poaching in Uttarakhand.[58][59][60][61]

Poaching

People for Animals and Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) informed the National Tiger Conservation Authority about six gangs of poachers in Corbett. A follo up by PFA Uttarakhand revealed that despite the information about the poaching gangs few arrests had been made.[62][63][64]

Mismanagement

Other

See also

References

  1. ↑ She started the organisation People for Animals in 1992 and it is the largest organisation for animal rights/welfare in India.Maneka Gandhi
  2. ↑ Welfare of animals her priority, by Jyotirmay Thapliyal, Tribune News Service, 19 February 2012. The biggest success came Maulekhi’s way in 2010 when she created a state-level unit of the People for Animals with eminent people like Ruskin Bond, Victor Bannerjee, noted industrialist Rakesh Oberoi, senior academicians and IAS and IFS officers.
  3. ↑ Welfare of animals her priority, by Jyotirmay Thapliyal, Tribune News Service Sunday, 19 February 2012. In 2008, she joined PFA, Dehradun, and worked as the chief executive officer of the PFA hospital.
  4. ↑ The Times of India, 29 June 2013
  5. 1 2 CNN-IBN 24 June 2013. Now a team from 'People for Animals' is in Gaurikund to help these animals. CNN-IBN's Priyali Sur met the team and spoke to them about how they plan to rescue the animals in the flood-hit state.
  6. ↑ Welfare of animals her priority, by Jotirmay Thapliyal, Tribune News Service, 19 February 2012.effective abolition of “pashubali” at Santala Devi in Dehradun, Devidhura and Purnagiri in Champawat, Chaiti Mela in Udham Singh Nagar, Simli in Chamoli, Top Mandir in Chamoli, Ali Manjhari in Chamoli.
  7. ↑ IN THE HIGH COURT OF UTTARAKHAND AT NAINITAL Writ Petition (PIL) No. 77 of 2010
  8. ↑ Hindustan Times Syndication Hens kept in cruel conditions in Doon's poultry farms, 23 August 2012
  9. ↑ Uttarakhand High Court Gauri Maulekhi vs State of Uttarakhand & Others, Impleadment Application No. 13855 of 2012 on 31 December 2012
  10. ↑ rediff.com, News,, 18 July 2013, Gauri Maulekhi, member secretary of PFA’s Uttarakhand chapter, recorded a video and put it up on YouTube, showing how the forest staff was running the canteen and not the foundation, and that Brijendra Singh was allowed to park his private vehicle inside the reserve.
  11. ↑ The Pioneer 2 August 2013. People for Animals, Uttarakhand member secretary Gauri Maulekhi had sought information on four points regarding lantana eradication in lantana under the Right to Information Act in February this year.
  12. ↑ Hindustan Times Syndication , 26 September 2012. Maulekhi warns against 'Emu' scams
  13. ↑ Khabar 19 July 2011.The People for Animals, Uttarakhand stand against illegal slaughter
  14. ↑ Green Media, Environmental Reporting in Newspapers Gauri Maulekhi, Secretary, People for Animals (PFA), and co opted member of the Animal Welfare Board of India, was recently asked by the NTCA, constituted under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, to conduct an inspection of the overall status of these elephants.
  15. ↑ , 10 May 2012. PFA Uttarakhand member secretary and Animal Welfare Board of India co-opted member Gauri Maulekhi welcomed the instructions of the FRDC, stating that planting fruit trees in forests is a more effective method to mitigate the monkey menace compared to sterilisation.
  16. ↑ The Pioneer,, 8 April 2013.Maulekhi has requested the CWW to facilitate rehabilitation of the birds through the Wildlife Institute of India or permit in writing, the CVASc to shelter the birds.
  17. ↑ No animal sacrifice at Bhukhal Mela this year After rights activists, locals too have discouraged the practice Jyotirmay Thapliyal Tribune News Service But due to the persistent efforts by Uttarakhand Chapter of the People for Animals (PFA), there was no animal sacrifice in Bhukhal fair this year.
  18. ↑ IN THE HIGH COURT OF UTTARAKHAND AT NAINITAL Writ Petition (PIL) No. 77 of 2010
  19. ↑ The Tribune 25 September 2012.In an unprecedented development, an FIR has been registered against a temple committee for organising animal sacrifices in Uttarakhand. The FIR was finally lodged at the Mallital police kotwali by the PFA.
  20. ↑ Tribune News Service Maulekhi visited various temples in the districts of Champawat, Pauri, Chamoli, Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarkashi and Dehradun to hold public awareness meetings and even lodged FIRs against temple committees and individuals in many cases. Her efforts led to effective abolition of “pashubali” at Santala Devi in Dehradun, Devidhura and Purnagiri in Champawat, Chaiti Mela in Udham Singh Nagar, Simli in Chamoli, Top Mandir in Chamoli, Ali Manjhari in Chamoli.
  21. ↑ News24 22 June 2013. NGOs join hands to save stranded animals in U’khand, two NGOs have stepped in efforts to save the animals in the region. The Humane Society International and People for Animals have been busy relocating the animals to safer locations.
  22. ↑ The Pioneer 26 June 2013 PFA chairperson Maneka Gandhi talked to the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Command, Lt-Gen Anil Chait, who agreed to provide a troop to assist in the rescue of the stranded animals.
  23. ↑ Hill Post Asserting that a team of People for Animals, comprising Gauri and Pulkit had reached Kedarntah to know the real picture,
  24. 1 2 The Pioneer , 9 July 2013.The inefficiency of the Animal Husbandry department and apathy of the Government towards the stranded working animals which amount to crores of rupees invested by locals, is unjustifiable. People for Animals, Uttarakhand member secretary Gauri Maulekhi said this following her return to Dehradun from the Kedar valley where volunteers worked along with locals and Army to rescue about 2,000 stranded animals.
  25. ↑ The Indian Express These animals have made pilgrim places accessible for centuries. They have built the economic backbone of the region, they have made life possible by reaching food to far-off places. But thousands of horses, goats, cows and dogs have been left to die or fend for themselves, stranded in isolated pockets surrounded by deadly landslides or treacherous currents, says Gauri Maulekhi, Member Secretary, People for Animals Uttarakhand
  26. ↑ The Indian Express 13 July 2013. Gauri says no veterinarian was available in the affected areas till July 3. Even when the Animal Husbandry relief teams reached the calamity area, they charged standard fees for treatment of injured animals from farmers who have lost everything in the calamity
  27. ↑ The Pioneer 27 October 2011.According to Maulekhi, the police acted swiftly on being informed about the smugglers and arrested seven persons with 21 bulls. The men did not have the requisite papers for the cattle they were herding across the State borders. According to information provided by official sources, the men were taking the bulls from the State of Punjab to Muzzaffarnagar, in the State of Uttar Pradesh via Uttarakhand for illegal slaughter.
  28. ↑ People for Animals March 1, 2012.In 6 separate incidents in January and February 2012 the PFA Uttarakhand night patrol nabbed cattle smugglers taking cows and buffaloes across the state for slaughter. The total number of animals rescued has been 107 and 8 vehicles have been seized including eicher trucks, Mahindra pickup vans and a dumper truck. The vehicles were nabbed from Rishikesh, Almora, Dehradun, Ramnagar and Udham Singh Nagar.
  29. ↑ Khabar The People for Animals, Uttarakhand stand against illegal slaughter :The judges of lower courts in Uttarakhand have continued to pass orders which blatantly violate the directives of the Supreme Court of India regarding the release of animals confiscated from persons suspected of taking them for illegal slaughter. The People for Animals, Uttarakhand has submitted a letter to the Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court with copies to the Supreme Court Chief Justice and the District judges of Uttarakhand eliciting their attention to this glaring anomaly
  30. ↑ The Pioneer June 12, 2012.An illegal cattle market at Landhaura was notorious for selling cow and it’s progeny to butchers in Uttar Pradesh. Acting on repeated complaints being received from the public, the People for Animals, Uttarakhand raided this market and registered a case against the main offenders in the Landhaura reporting Police Chowki, as bovines were being smuggled for illegal slaughter from here.
  31. ↑ The Tribune PFA raids cattle market; case registered Tribune News Service,A team of People For Animals, Uttarakhand, raided an illegal cattle market at Landhaura in Haridwar district.
  32. ↑ People for Animals People For Animals Uttarakhand raided the Sahaspur Cattle market yet again on 3rd April upon repeated complaints received by locals. As per the Uttarakhand Protection of Cow and its Progeny Act, 2007, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act,1960 by its Transport of Cattle on Foot Rules, and the latest Government Order issued from the Government of Uttarakhand to stringently follow the provisions laid therein, the cattle could not be sold to persons from outside the State without a No-Objection Certificate issued by the District Majistrate and upon payment of Rs 500/-. Cattle was freely being sold to residents of Uttar Pradesh without maintaining any record of their identity. Contractor Praveen Agrawal was named in an FIR registered at the Sahaspur Thana last year by People for Animals Uttarakhand.'
  33. ↑ The Tribune Animal rights groups, including Maneka Gandhi-led People for Animals, had lodged protests against the manner in which animals were being handled at the fair.
  34. ↑ Protected Area Update a visually impaired elephant is being made to work on commercial rides on NH-12;
  35. ↑ The Tribune 8 February 2012. Violations in Project Elephant guidelines Animals faced torture and neglect Jyotirmay Thapliyal/TNS, An inspection of the overall status and housekeeping of private captive elephants around Corbett National Park done by People For Animals, Uttarakhand, on directives of National Tiger Conservation Authority has led to startling revelations. Blatant violations have been revealed and the Project Elephant guidelines have completely been ignored as per the findings.This is the first survey done in Uttarakhand since the Project Elephant guidelines have been launched by the Ministry of Environment and Forests. Gauri Maulekhi, Member Secretary, People for Animals, Uttarakhand, who led the survey, disclosed that captive elephants around Corbett faced torture of all sorts and was a fit case of violation of acts which tantamount to cruelty to elephants.Maulekhi said while injured and diseased elephants were being made to work, their general health conditions were horrible. Housing, too, was not up to the mark and even legal status of these captive elephants was a question mark.
  36. ↑ Green Media - Environmental Reporting in Newspapers 15 February 2012. A proper appraisal of the condition of the captive elephants in Uttarakhand had not been done since the launch of the Project Elephant Guidelines by the Government of India. Preliminary inspection was recently conducted and the results are shocking. Gauri Maulekhi, Secretary, People for Animals (PFA), and co opted member of the Animal Welfare Board of India, was recently asked by the NTCA, constituted under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, to conduct an inspection of the overall status of these elephants.
  37. ↑ Raheja Productions 15 February 2012. The inspection of six such elephants undertaken by Gauri Maulekhi, co-opted member of the Animal Welfare Board of India and member secretary of People For Animals Uttarakhand revealed that injured and diseased elephants were being forced to work while false records of health were being issued by local veterinarian Dr. Rajiv Singh.According to forest department officials, the captive elephants will be kept in Jhirna range of Corbett National Park. The procedure for rehabilitation of the pachyderms has been started with the animals expected to be seized in the near future.
  38. ↑ The Voice of Stray Dogs Slaughter House Rules 2001 framed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act lay down how a slaughter house has to be built and operated. The Bhandari Bagh Slaughter House run by Nagar Nigam Dehradun is violating these rules on every single count. Every section of the Slaughter House Rules, 2001 is violated in this facility.
  39. ↑ The Tribune News Service 2 February 2013. The Uttarakhand team of the People For Animals had visited the park a year back, revealing a number of irregularities. The PFA subsequently submitted its finding to the CZA.
  40. ↑ The Tribune 19 February 2013. People for Animals, Uttarakhand member secretary Gauri Maulekhi who was also present during the inspection said that the CZA has directed the department to rele pigeons, guinea fowl and kites with sound wings.
  41. ↑ Hindustan Times Syndication Hens kept in cruel conditions in Doon's poultry farms:But the reality has been exposed by an inspection conducted by a team appointed by the Uttarakhand Government which includes the Chief Veterinary Officer, a member of the Uttarakhand Animal Welfare Board and co-opted member of the Animal Welfare Board of India, Gauri Maulekhi.
  42. ↑ Khabar CPCSEA regulations being violated in the HIMS animal-test lab: Maulekhi has stated that HIMS has violated most of the rules formulated by the committee under section 14 to 20 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
  43. ↑ The People for Animals Organisation, Uttarakhand has lodged an FIR recently against the Director of Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences (HIMS) for promoting and encouraging foul practices and criminally neglecting the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
  44. ↑ A lab in the Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, Uttarakhand, was sealed by the state’s forest department and an action was taken against the head of department after 28 snakes, three scorpions and a bat were found dead in the lab.The forest department acted following information provided by People for Animals (PFA) Uttarakhand...
  45. ↑ Under the Right To Information Act, People For Animals, Uttarakhand member secretary Gauri Maulekhi procured a list of all specimens accumulated by the college so far. The specimens include various aquatic creatures, reptiles and invertebrates among others. In a letter to the chief wildlife warden, she has requested him to order confiscation of all undeclared specimens of animals protected under Schedule I and II of the Act. In addition to directing an inquiry into the acquisition of the specimens by the college, the CWW has also been requested to initiate legal proceedings against persons responsible for declaring the specimens within the stipulated time. The role of the divisional forest staff who failed to act in this matter should also be inquired into while all divisional forest officers should be directed to investigate similar cases in their divisions, she has requested.
  46. ↑ The Pioneer A planned concert by singer Honey Singh to mark the inauguration of a resort adjoining Corbett tiger reserve was cancelled on Monday night following opposition from activists due to which the team formed to enforce the silence zone around Corbett took action and served a notice to the resort owners.
  47. ↑ The Tribune 20 February 2013.In the aftermath of deaths of two elephants and 16 cattle on the killer railway track inside the Rajaji National Park, People for Animals, Uttarakhand, has put the onus of these mishaps on the railway authorities, asserting that the scattered concrete railway track sleepers along tracks did not give an exit space to the animals.Threatening to hold Rail Roko on March 9 by staging demonstration on the affected railway track, Maulekhi said the animal lovers would no more tolerate this callous attitude of the Railway authorities.
  48. ↑ Uttaranchal High Court Gauri Maulekhi vs State of Uttarakhand & Others on 31 December 2012 Impleadment Application No. 13855 of 2012
  49. ↑ The Tribune PFA writes to DGP against holding dog shows Tribune News Service
  50. ↑ Hindustan Times Syndication Maulekhi videos animal slaughter at Inamullahh Building, demands ban.
  51. ↑ Wildlife Trust of India The raids were conducted by the Uttarakhand Forest Department assisted by the People for Animals (PfA) and the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).
  52. ↑ Hindustan Times Syndication 26 September 2013. Maulekhi warns against 'Emu' scams: Maulekhi has said that it's time for Uttarakhand to make stringent regulations so that people don't end up with thousands of emus on abandoned farms. She has urged that effective instructions be issued to the Animal Husbandry and the Forest Department to curb the mushrooming emu farms and to prepare for eventualities such as the southern states have had to face.
  53. ↑ The Hindu 13 October 2012. For the last three months, teams of People For Animals have been going round Uttarakhand checking emu farms. Farmers in Nainital started breeding emus some years ago. Now, the emus have been abandoned and the farmers ruined. The farmers have stopped feeding them and lakhs of these birds are dying of starvation.
  54. ↑ The Pioneer 8 April 2013. Maulekhi has requested the CWW to facilitate rehabilitation of the birds through the Wildlife Institute of India or permit in writing, the CVASc to shelter the birds.
  55. ↑ The Tribune The Gobind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, has stopped the breeding and selling of Japanese Quail. Dean, G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Dr. G. K. Singh said they had stopped the breeding and sale of Japanese Quail and had even started the process of handing over Japanese Quails at present available in the university to the state wildlife authorities. “Initially, we started promoting the Japanese Quail farming as we were not aware of any such ban on its breeding and sale. We thought such provision exists only for indigenous wild Quail. But after People For Animals, Uttarakhand, informed us about the schedule IV species status of Japanese Quail, we stopped its farming and breeding,” said Dr. Singh.
  56. ↑ Green Media February 27, 2012.The Animal Welfare Board of India co-opted member and People for Animals, Uttarakhand member secretary Gauri Maulekhi has written a letter to the member secretary of Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board Jairaj and Dehradun District Magistrate Dilip Jawalkar complaining about the problems being caused by such improper dumping of garbage.According to Maulekhi, dumping garbage in the open in this ecologically sensitive area is causing damage to the environment and wildlife. The food items in the trash attract monkeys which have become dependent on this dump for food. This in turn has increased the chances of conflict between humans and monkeys in addition to which many of the simians often sustain injuries in road accidents.
  57. ↑ The sterilisation plan is opposed by wildlife activities and People For Animals members who had pointed out that this method had failed to resolve the human-simian conflict in Delhi and Himachal Pradesh. It will be recalled that Lok Sabha MP and PFA chairperson Maneka Gandhi had also criticised the Uttarakhand Forest department’s plan for constructing centres for sterilising monkeys to mitigate human-monkey conflict, calling it an ill-conceived plan.
  58. ↑ The Pioneer 10 April 2013. In the PIL filed by People for Animals Uttarakhand member secretary Gauri Maulekhi, the petitioner has requested the HC to direct the State government to initiate action against the Corbett director and principal chief conservator of forests (Wildlife) for attempting to cover up at least one confirmed case of tiger poaching; to quash the government order appointing the chief wildlife warden on backdate; to direct the State to investigate the case of the death of five male elephants in Corbett tiger reserve and to issue appropriate directions for deployment of Special Tiger Protection Force without delay to prevent rampant poaching in Uttarakhand. Calling this an unfortunate state of affairs, the HC has sought an explanation from the State government and department officers concerned.
  59. ↑ IN THE HON’BLE HIGH COURT OF UTTARAKHAND AT NAINITAL - PART I- Related to blatant illegalities and irregularities in the Corbett Tiger Reserve pertaining to poaching and reporting of animal death because of extraneous reasons & negligence and to seek remedial and other measures for better implementation of the provisions of Wildlife Protection Act 1972 in Corbett, the most celebrated Tiger Reserve of the Country PART II- Related to illegalities and irregularities in the appointment of the Chief Wildlife Warden of Uttarakhand PART III-Related to irregularities in the appointment of the Honorary Wildlife Warden of Corbett Tiger Reserve and regarding the petitioner’s plea to initiate action based on the report that states that the Honorary Wildlife Warden may be involved in poaching of 5 male elephants in Corbett Tiger Reserve PART IV - Related to the deployment of the Special Tiger Protection Force for the Corbett Tiger Reserve in the state as per directions by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, Government of India.
  60. ↑ Down to Earth PIL by Gauri Maulekhi against Brijendra Singh, honorary wildlife warden
  61. ↑ The Tribune 10 April 2013.PIL filed by People for Animals Tribune News Service
  62. ↑ Forest dept admits to poachers in Corbett:People For Animals, Uttarakhand, member secretary Gauri Maulekhi who had first informed the National Tiger Conservation Authority about these gangs in Corbett
  63. ↑ Corbett activists cry foul, officials deny presence of poachers Recently, taking cognisance of information provided by People For Animals, Uttarakhand, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) member secretary Rajesh Gopal wrote a letter to the Uttarakhand Director General of Police requesting him to facilitate concerted work by the police and forest department to act upon information on presence of six gangs of poachers active in Corbett and neighbouring forest divisions.
  64. ↑ The Pioneer, 1 June 2012 There have been four cases of tigers being found injured or dead in suspicious circumstances in the past month, but no arrests have been made yet, she added.
  65. ↑ Wildlife activists accuse director of cover-up In addition to this, the PFA had also sought a copy of the photography and videography conducted while recovering the poacher’s equipment. “Though National Tiger Conservation Authority guidelines make it mandatory for any such seizures in tiger reserves to be videographed, the Corbett authorities did not it. Mishra consistently tried to suppress correct information about the seizures,” she stressed.
  66. ↑ Corbett tiger deaths remain controversial She further states, “The Corbett director Ranjan Misra and warden UC Tiwari have forbidden forest guards and nature guides from carrying mobile phones with cameras to the national park as it gives them a chance to report back to us in case a mishap is being covered up by the authorities. The three burnt cubs, when found were also photographed by the guards but the park warden made sure that the pictures were deleted, thereby issuing arbitrary orders that no guard will carry mobile phones. The effort and time being invested in preventing PFA from getting information may be better utilised in nabbing the poachers," she adds. Apart from this a forest guard has also complained to the PFA about a tiger poached in Corbett on 7 June. In the e-mail sent to the organisation the forest guard has stated that he does not trust his senior officers as they are trying to conceal this death wherein poachers left with the pelt and bones of the big cat.'
  67. ↑ Last Wilderness 2 January 2013.She said that alcohol is strictly prohibited in national parks but is made freely available to tourists while the rest houses are littered with empty liquor bottles and beer cans. “A national park that claims to be running on eco tourism guidelines has no means of segregation of garbage and all the rubbish is dumped behind the canteens where monkeys and other animals are being introduced to the new diet of rotten processed food. This has led to a shift in the behaviour and diet of the monkeys,” she said.
  68. ↑ Wildlife News Tourists take priority over tigers in Uttarakhand Posted by Leya Musa posted on 26 November 2012.A directive by the Corbett Tiger Reserve director, Ranjan Mishra, has ordered that forest rangers have to ensure that fresh food and provisions are available in forest lodges for visitors who stay in the park overnight. According to the NGO People for Animals, Uttarakhand member secretary Gauri Maulekhi this means that rangers are having to use forest vehicles to buy provisions and transport them around the lodges and that personnel who should be protecting tigers are in the markets bartering for food. Maulekhi said, "One vehicle is provided to each ranger in Corbett for official rounds and ensuring safety and observance of rules in the national park but these vehicles are being used by rangers to buy perishables like vegetables, milk and rations for the eateries that they are being asked to run. The vehicles are occupied practically daily for fetching supplies while the rangers are negotiating with vendors instead of attending to their official duties."'
  69. ↑ Hindustan Times Strangely, the Director of Corbett is using one third of the forest guards available in the park at his office in Ramnagar. The remaining are either at the entry gates or running canteens in the park. Whatever little patrolling is happening is being done by daily wage labourers.
  70. ↑ The Tribune 26 March 2013.JIM CORBETT NATIONAL PARK Tourists flouting rules and regulations:A survey by the People for Animals, Uttarakhand chapter, to assess the tourist wildlife scenario at the Corbett park, has revealed open flouting of rules and regulations by tourists there.
  71. ↑ The Tribune n a letter written to National Tiger Conservation Authority member-secretary Rajesh Gopal, the PFA asserted that out of 139 sanctioned posts of forest guards in Corbett, 67 posts are lying vacant. Even out of occupied 72 posts, 32 of these forest guards are deployed in the field staff. "It is not easy to man 520 square kilometre area of Corbett with just 32 forest guards", Gauri Maulekhi Member Secretary, PFA Uttarakhand, said in the letter. Further, the forest guards are not well-equipped with arms and even basic essential items like shoes and uniform.'
  72. ↑ The Tribune Conservationist organisation People for Animals, Uttarakhand, has alleged that a large number of Corbett staff was on leave this Holi. She also pointed out that 11 out of 12 Range Officers and 55 out of 139 vacant posts of forest guards in Corbett were already lying vacant, putting Corbett wildlife to graver risk.
  73. ↑ Save the Elephants:Rogue elephant terrorises villagers in India 10 December 2011.But last-minute intervention by People For Animals (PFA), a wildlife society in Delhi, brought a stay of execution and forced the wildlife department to try to relocate the beast into a more remote area. "In the past, they would just gun down the elephant within hours of it being labelled a man-eater, said Gauri Maulekhi, PFA's Uttarakhand representative. "This time, they are putting some effort in. This could set a precedent for future cases.'
  74. ↑ Hindustan Times Syndication 15 October 2012.Maulekhi objects to dog as leopard bait
  75. ↑ The Tribune 29 March 2013.PFA contests CM's claim on tiger protection force
  76. ↑ The Pioneer 22 August 2013.PFA Uttarakhand member secretary Gauri Maulekhi said that the Forestry and Ecology department of IIRS has expertise in this sphere.
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