RARE SIGHTING OF VENERATED BEAST
Indian villagers hunt for white jumbo

But sceptics say it is a product of the imagination

By Rahul Karmakar
IN GUWAHATI

VILLAGERS in the East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, who prefer not to have so many elephants around lest they destroy their crops, are sacrificing their sleep to spot an elusive white elephant believed to be in the vicinity.

Following reports of several 'sightings' by villagers since last July, the chief wildlife warden of the state, Mr S. S. Chaudhury, has asked his field officials to be on the lookout for the white elephant during their census of the elephant population that is currently under way.

The rare jumbo has not been spotted officially yet, but wildlife officials do not rule out the possibility of its existence.

However, they feel the picture would be clear once the census report is completed within a week.

Though sceptics in the department are of the opinion that the white elephant is a product of the villagers' imagination, others are not so sure.

They point out that the topography of Arunachal Pradesh is contiguous with that of Thailand, where several white elephants have been recorded through history - and venerated.

'After all, a white elephant is nothing but an albino,' Deputy Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) D. N. Singh told The Straits Times over the telephone.

'There is no reason why a white elephant cannot exist in this part of the country with a sizeable pachyderm population.'

The white elephant episode began when Mr Takum Nabum, the honorary wildlife warden of East Kameng, reported a sighting in mid-July last year.

In a letter to the chief wildlife warden, he said that no less than nine people had seen a large whitish creature with a trunk and twisted tusks in the Papum Reserve Forest under Pakhoi Wildlife Sanctuary.

This sanctuary is in the remote Arunachal Pradesh state, which shares its borders with Myanmar and China and is covered with lush tropical forests.

According to the last animal census in 1996, this 862-sq-km sanctuary had 527 wild elephants.

Other animals included tigers and leopards, clouded leopards, gaur or bison, and wild dogs.

'The white elephant was spotted on several occasions between July 22 and August 1 last year,' said Mr Nabum.

He also claimed to be one of the lucky few to have seen the white elephant from close quarters.

He said that its left tusk was longer and had a reddish tip, and added that the creature vanished as soon as it saw him.

The sighting of the white elephant has generated a lot of interest in Arunachal Pradesh.

The state has a sizeable number of Buddhists, who revere the white elephant as an incarnation of Lord Buddha.

White elephants are extremely rare. They are albinos or in some cases just have unusually light skin pigmentation.

They are particularly treasured in the Buddhist culture of Thailand.