Elephants on display at Sonepur fair on Thursday. Picture by Sachin n See Page 4

Sonepur (Vaishali), Nov. 10: Elephants are no more sold at Sonepur fair. But they do change hands — either through pricey “charity” or by “cheating”.

Still a status symbol in rural Bihar, several people visit Sonepur to buy elephants. But deals are sealed under wraps because elephant trade is a punishable offence under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1992 (amended in 2006).

Grown-up tuskers change hands for anything between Rs 15 lakh and Rs 20 lakh. But officially, the elephant owners claim they have done a charity on buyers. The proud neo-elephant owners put their seal on the claim.

The money, however, changes hand legally. But the elephants are shown as plot of lands on stamp papers.

Striking a deal is an uphill task, though. Ask any mahout if his elephant is up for sale, the curt reply will be a big no.

“Yahan haathi nahi bikta. Pashu premi aate hai yahan par apne haathiyon ko dikhane ke liye. (Elephants are not sold here. The animal lovers who have elephants come to the fair to display their pets),” said 50-year-old mahout Chhotu Singh (name changed), taking care of little Rani (an elephant calf) and its stepmother Laxmi.

“The old days are gone now. Nowadays, maintaining a two-wheeler is difficult. Keeping an elephant is a distant dream. But some like my employer, who love animals, keep them nicely. Yahan aab bechna-khareedna nahi hota. Daan hota hai (Nowadays elephant or any other animal is not sold or purchased. But charity happens),” said Chhotu.

This “charity” comes for a premium. “Tuskers cost between Rs 15 lakh and Rs 20 lakh. The price of calves varies between Rs 6 lakh and Rs 10 lakh. But the volume of sale has come down big time. Earlier, 15 to 20 elephants were sold every year,” one of the mahouts said.

Another mahout said: “We take money from buyers legally. We do some paper work. But there is no mention of the elephant on the paper. The animal is often replaced by land.”

Owners of most of the elephants stay away from the fair to avoid any risk. The master of Laxmi and Rani was not present at the fair. But a flex on top of the tent housing the elephants and their mahout has a picture of one Mahendra Pradhan, a resident of Samastipur district, with both the elephants. Same was the scene at the “camp” of Dhanraj Babu (an elephant). A flex flaunts its owner’s name and address: “Harinandan Rai, resident of Ram Lakhan Path of Patna.”

The owners away, mahouts strike the deals on their behalf. “Price does not bother people who buy the animal to make a status statement,” the mahout of Dhanraj Babu said.

A prospective buyer said: “In many villages, elephants are still considered to be a status symbol. People respect you and treat you well. Pride is more important than money. I have lot of land and can easily afford an elephant.”