A former chief wildlife warden (CWW) of Uttarakhand is facing action for allegedly exchanging four elephant calves from the Corbett Tiger Reserve with four adult tuskers from a man in Gujarat without obtaining prior permission from the central government, officials said on Saturday.

Uttarakhand Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal said Parag Madhukar Dhakate’s decision to allow the exchange without informing Central government officials was a serious error.

Repeated attempts to reach the former CWW on the phone to get his version on the issue went unanswered, reported PTI. However, sources mentioned that Dhakate’s contention is that the authority for the exchange of domesticated elephants lies with the chief wildlife warden.