Man-animal conflict existential crisis for humans: Prabhu
New Delhi, Aug 12 : Union Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu on Sunday said the man-animal conflict was an "existential crisis for humans" rather than animals.
Pointing out that protection of wilderness and forests was a must for preserving wildlife, the minister said there was a need for optimising conservation efforts.
He was addressing a gathering to celebrate 'World Elephant Day' as 'Gaj Mahotsav', after presenting the 'Best Elephant Warrior Award' to late Mani Kandan.
Kandan, a senior Indian Forest Service officer at Karnataka's Nagarhole Tiger Reserve, was trampled to death by a tusker on March 4, when he went inside the jungle to assess the damage caused by a forest fire.
Prabhu acknowledged the sacrifice of Kandan and his family on the occasion.
According to the Environment Ministry, as per the 2017 census, there are about 30,000 Asian elephants left, confined to South Asia and Southeast Asia. About 60 per cent of the global population of Asian elephants is found in India.
Special Secretary Siddhanta Das in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said that if elephants were confined to one place, nature's linkage will be broken and pointed to the need to protect the habitat and corridors of elephants.
In 2010, elephants were declared a National Heritage Animal.
The day focused on improving enforcement policies to prevent illegal poaching and trade in ivory, conserving elephants' habitats, providing better treatment for captive elephants and reintroducing some captive elephants into sanctuaries, an official statement said.
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Manipur: Mortal remains of children killed in bomb attack handed over to family
Imphal (PTI): The mortal remains of two children, who were killed in a bomb attack in Manipur's Bishnupur district in April, were handed over to family members on Saturday, officials said.
The bodies of the five-year-old boy and his six-month-old sister were kept in the morgue for 25 days, as the family members had refused to accept the mortal remains, demanding that the perpetrators be brought to book at the earliest.
On April 25, Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh had appealed to the family members of the children to accept the bodies. Singh had also said that all efforts were underway to find the culprits.
The two children were killed in a bomb attack at Tronglaobi in Bishnupur district on April 7. Their bodies were kept in the morgue at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal.
The incident had triggered widespread violent protests in the five valley districts of Manipur, and the case was subsequently handed over to the NIA.
Hundreds of people lined up along the way to Tronglaobi to offer floral tributes, as the mortal remains were taken for the last rites in an open vehicle earlier in the day.
