Elephant Dies Amid Non-Compliance With Calcutta High Court Orders; Activists Seek Urgent Action to Rescue the remaining two Elephants

Kolkata: A female elephant named Suman has died in Siwan, Bihar, in circumstances that animal protection advocates say raise serious concerns about non-compliance with repeated orders of the Calcutta High Court regarding her custody and rehabilitation.

Suman was one of three elephants formerly associated with Nataraj Circus and the subject of ongoing litigation before the High Court concerning their alleged illegal transfer from West Bengal to Bihar. The case, pursued for the past eight years by the Kolkata-based CAPE Foundation, challenges the legality of the elephants’ relocation and continued possession to a Mahant in Bihar.

“Suman’s death is a deeply distressing development and underscores the consequences of delayed implementation of binding court orders,” said Supana Ganguly, Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre. “This is not only about one elephant. The two surviving elephants remain vulnerable unless authorities act swiftly and in coordination.”

According to Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO), the Calcutta High Court has passed multiple orders directing the concerned authorities to seize the elephants and return them to the custody of the West Bengal Forest Department, in accordance with the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and other applicable legal safeguards governing captive elephants.

Despite these judicial directions, Suman and the two remaining elephants Bhola and Basanti were reportedly not taken into state custody. In recent days, publicly circulating video footage appears to show Suman being used in commercial activity in Siwan while visibly unwell. She subsequently collapsed and died.

Animal advocates state that the incident raises serious questions about veterinary oversight. upkeep and care standards, and enforcement of court-ordered protections. They have also indicated that contempt proceedings are understood to be pending in connection with alleged non-compliance with earlier High Court directions.

Captive elephants are long-lived, socially complex animals requiring specialised veterinary care and regulated environments. Advocates argue that prolonged litigation and administrative inaction have left the remaining elephants in a precarious situation.

Animal protection organisations have urged the authorities of West Bengal and Bihar to act in coordinated compliance with the binding orders of the Calcutta High Court. The remaining elephants, Bhola and Basanti, must be secured without further delay and transferred to an appropriate rehabilitation facility where independent veterinary assessment and long-term welfare planning can be undertaken. The organisations have further stated that any form of commercial deployment must cease immediately pending full legal compliance.

This matter is not merely procedural. It concerns the rule of law, the integrity of judicial oversight, and the prevention of further irreversible harm to living beings who are entirely dependent on human custodianship. Suman’s death should serve as a solemn and urgent reminder that court orders relating to animal welfare require faithful, effective, and time-bound implementation, rather than delay or obstruction.

Animal advocates have expressed their profound grief at Suman’s passing and have called upon all relevant authorities to ensure that the fate she suffered is not repeated for the remaining elephants.