KOCHI: The High Court has directed a survey to be conducted in all districts to determine the number of captive elephants in the state. The court has entrusted the District Collectors and Social Forestry DFOs with the responsibility of carrying out the survey. A detailed report on each elephant should be submitted to the Chief Wildlife Warden. The report should be codified and presented to the court. The court, comprising Justice AK Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice P Gopinath, said a report should also be submitted on how the age of the elephants can be determined. The court will consider the matter again on January 9.

According to estimates, there are 349 captive elephants in the state. Of these, only 225 elephants have ownership certificates, while 124 elephants do not. However, it is unclear how many of these elephants are dead. The survey aims to gather accurate information on this matter.

The court was considering petitions filed by by elephant owners, requesting the return of their elephants that were seized due to the lack of ownership certificates. The court emphasized that elephants must possess a certificate under the Wildlife Protection Act and that any change in ownership must be notified to the Chief Wildlife Warden.