A khedda (or Kheddah) or the Khedda system was a stockade trap for the capture of a full herd of elephants that was used in India; other methods were also used to capture single elephants.[1] The elephants were driven into the stockade by skilled mahouts mounted on domesticated elephants.[2][1] This method was practiced widely in North-east India, particularly in the state of Assam,[3] mostly in South India,[4] and in particular in the erstwhile Mysore State (now part of Karnataka) state.[5]
The khedda practice and other methods of trapping or capturing elephants have been discontinued since 1973 following the enactment of a law under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, declaring the Indian elephant to be a highly endangered species. In the case of elephants which cause extensive damage by encroaching into human habitations and damaging crops, the forest department has the authority to capture them.[3]
- ^ a b Sanderson 1879, p. 70.
- ^ Diver, Katherine H.; Maud Diver (1942). Royal India. Ayer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8369-2152-6. OCLC 141359.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Elephantwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Kamat, Vikas. "The Khedda System of Catching Wild Elephants". Kamat's Potpourri. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
- ^ Stracey 1964, p. 61.