Controversial Elephant Exchange: Former Uttarakhand Wildlife Chief Under Investigation

Parag Madhukar Dhakate, a former chief wildlife warden in Uttarakhand, is facing criticism for allegedly exchanging elephant calves with adult tuskers without obtaining the necessary approval from central authorities.

Uttarakhand's Forest Minister, Subodh Uniyal, highlighted the error in Dhakate's decision to proceed without informing central government officials, as required by current regulations established in 2024 for elephant exchanges. However, when the swap took place in 2022, such permission was not mandatory under the existing rules of that time.

Despite attempting to reach Dhakate for comments, he remained unavailable. An investigation has been conducted, and the report has been forwarded to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, marking an ongoing saga of oversight and rule clarification within the wildlife management sector.

(With inputs from agencies.)