Indian President Holds Heartwarming Meet & Greet With Elephants
© AP Photo / Eranga Jayawardena
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India's Assam state has the second-largest population of wild elephants and to promote their conservation and protection amid the human-elephant conflict, a festival - 'Gaj Utsav'- is held every year.
The giant jumbos at Kaziranga National Park in India's Assam state got lucky as they were greeted by Indian President Droupadi Murmu during the inauguration of the 'Gaj Utsav 2023' on Friday to mark the 30th anniversary of Project Elephant.
The adorable pictures of the animals lined up to take bananas from the hands of the president have gone viral on the internet.
President Droupadi Murmu, who is on a three-day visit to Assam, inaugurated the 'Gaj Utsav' at state’s Kaziranga National Park to mark 30 years of Project Elephant.
© Photo : Social Media
Describing these animals as a symbol of India's prosperity and a national heritage, President Murmu said that it is the nation's responsibility to protect elephants, who are like humans and considered to be very intelligent and sensitive.
"Elephants have been most respected in our [Indian] tradition... We should have the same sense of sympathy and respect for elephants and other living beings as we have for humans. We can learn the feeling of selfless love from animals and birds," the president said.
I spoke about the various steps being taken by our government to eliminate man-animal conflict.
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) April 7, 2023
My immense gratitude to the Government of India for selecting Assam to host this year’s edition of Gaj Utsav.(2/2)@Gulab_kataria @byadavbjp @AshwiniKChoubey @ATULBORA2 @cmpatowary pic.twitter.com/PMVMEAfQMq
The president also pointed out that the Kaziranga and Manas National Parks of Assam are an invaluable legacy not only for India but for the entire world when it comes to wildlife conservation, this is why UNESCO has granted them the status of ‘World Heritage Sites’.
However, due to the rise in human-elephant conflict, President Murmu said, “It has been an issue for centuries and when we analyze this conflict, it is found that a barrier created in the natural habitat or movement of elephants is the root cause. Therefore, the responsibility of solving this conflict lies with human society."
About Project Elephant
In 1992, the Government of India introduced 'Project Elephant' to ensure the long-term survival of the animals' population in their natural habitats.
"Protecting elephants, conserving their natural habitats and keeping elephant corridors free from obstruction are the main objectives of Project Elephant. Solving problems related to human-elephant conflict is also the aim of this project," President Murmu signed off.
