Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress his Department has made on supporting the Indian government in protecting the Asian Elephant.
The UK is at the forefront of international efforts to protect the welfare of animals. The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs leads on these issues, and through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species the UK is in discussion with elephant range States, including India, to increase protection for Asian elephants. The Government is also working closely with the European Commission and other Member States, with the support of international animal welfare organisations and other interested groups, to try to raise global standards of animal welfare.