By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : From three-year-old Unnikuttan to 95-year-old Gangadharan, a dozen elephants queued up as the Kerala government Saturday launched its programme of implanting a microchip in them in place of registration papers.
The chip is placed under the skin of the elephant by way of an injection.
The initiative, the first for Kerala that has almost 1,000 captive elephants, was launched from the capital district.
Speaking to reporters at the campsite, P.S. Varghese, chief wildlife warden of the forest department, said the drive was aimed at getting every captive elephant registered.
“This will also help in the preparation of a health card for each elephant and thereby know the health condition of the animal whenever required. The chip will provide all details including the elephant’s owner and mahout and it can be read with the help of a microchip reader,” said Varghese.
The new technology will make it impossible for elephant owners to cheat authorities as many of them allegedly have only one registration paper for several elephants.
The total expense for one chip implantation is around Rs.2,000, which is borne by the state government.
The drive, launched jointly by the departments of forest, revenue and animal husbandry, will cover all elephants in the state in two months.