Animal rights bodies stress need to replace live elephants with robotic elephants in festivals

Citing 60 odd instances of captive elephants running amok during this festival season in Kerala and deaths of as many as 147 captive elephants in the state since 2018, animal rights bodies have stressed the need to impose restrictions on parading elephants during temple festivals and popularise alternatives like robotic elephants.

The Centre for Research on Animal Rights (CRAR) and Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisation (FIAPO) sent a letter to the Kerala State Animal Welfare Board (KSAWB) in this regard.

CRAR and FIAPO pointed out that in the first three months of this year 12 captive elephants died in Kerala. In the 60 odd instances of captive elephants running amok during festivals it was found that most elephants were poorly treated. Aged, injured, blind and sick elephants were paraded. No proper inquiries were conducted into those incidents, said a statement from the CRAR and FIAPO.

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CRAR founder Alok Hisarwala Gupta said that the 2012 Kerala Captive Elephants Rules were not adequate and were wilfully ignored by the authorities. Instead of putting an end to the torture of elephants, the authorities, especially in Thrissur and Palakkad districts, were freely granting permission to organise more parades and introduce more elephants in existing and new parades. There are even plans to start a parade of female elephants alone, he said.

CRAR and FIAPO also said that elephants were rented out for up to Rs. seven lakh for each parade even as the Wild Life Protection Act prohibited using elephants for commercial purposes.

The animal rights forums urged that parading live elephants for festivals should be phased out at least in a gradual manner with alternatives like robotic elephants.