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Following an 18-month campaign by PETA, the city of Mumbai has announced that elephants will no longer be allowed in the city. The campaign featured high-profile advertisements against elephants in captivity starring actors Rahul Khanna and Celina Jaitley; letters written by MP Shatrughan Sinha and MP Maneka Gandhi; and a petition signed by Dilip Kumar, Saira Banu, John Abraham, MP Priya Dutt, Sanjay Leela Bansali, Isha Koppikar, Mahesh Bhatt, Yana Gupta and Gulshan Grover.
Mumbai's compassionate decision will spare many elephants a lifetime of abuse and neglect. It has sent a powerful message to other towns and cities across the country to re-examine their local laws and enforcement regarding the care, use and treatment of elephants and the best example of this is the state of Assam. Upon receiving the order, PETA wrote to other states again asking them to follow Mumbai's compassionate decision. In response, Mr MC Malakar, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden – Assam, issued a circular asking his officials to enforce the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and confiscate all elephants who are being used for begging. For a copy of this circular, please click here. To see the letter written by PETA on why elephants should not remain in captivity, please click here.
The ban comes on the heels of a report – which PETA presented to the Mumbai commissioner of police and the chief conservator of forests, Thane Circle pointing out many of the problems associated with allowing elephants on roads and outside temples in the city, including cruelty to animals, the threat to human life and property, and the possible transmission to humans of tuberculosis and anthrax. PETA also pointed out the violations of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960; the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972; the Performing Animals (Registration) Rule, 2001; the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959; and the Bombay Police Act with regard to the importation and use of elephants in Mumbai. Click here to read PETA's letter.
Elephants in Mumbai are forced to walk on scorching-hot, pothole-ridden roads in busy traffic amid a cacophony of horns and engines. When they are not working, they are chained by their legs – unable even to move a single foot. They suffer from skin and foot ailments, eye infections and cataracts.
In 2006, an elephant named Laxmi was hit by a water tanker in Mumbai. Because proper medical attention could not be provided, Laxmi suffered with her injuries for more than a day before dying. Another elephant in Mumbai was frightened by a fire cracker and fell onto a car. The mahout fled the scene, and the elephant went on a rampage, requiring an entire platoon of SRPF and 60 police personnel to subdue her.
Elephants are social animals; in the wild, females live in close-knit family groups. They spend about 18 hours a day walking, feeding, bathing in water holes and interacting with other elephants. They are known to mourn the loss of relatives, just as humans do. In captivity, elephants are separated from their families as babies and are sentenced to a lifetime of boredom, loneliness and abuse.
Last month, John Abraham, Mike Pandey and PETA met with Shri Babbanrao Pachpute, Maharashtra's minister of state for forests. At the meeting, the minister gave his assurance for setting up an elephant sanctuary in Maharashtra for the captive elephants in the state. We are now asking other states to follow suit and not only ban the usage of captive elephants but set up elephant sanctuaries so that captive elephants in the states will be able to get a lifetime of care. Of course, we also are insisting that no one should be allowed to get any more captive elephants.
Apart from this, the elephants in some of the temples in Kerala have also found some relief. The Sivagiri Mutt or spiritual institution, which controls 30 temples in the palm-fringed coastal state of Kerala, said that it would no longer use elephants during the popular festivals. Veterinary officials say the elephants, which are decorated with heavy ornaments and large idols, get upset because of the big crowds which attend the festivals and the long hours that they must spend under the scorching sun. The elephants often run amok, trampling people. In Kerala, 40 elephant handlers or mahouts and 45 onlookers died in 2006 and 15 mahouts and six members of the public have been killed already this year.
Join PETA and make a donation to support our work.
Mumbai's compassionate decision will spare many elephants a lifetime of abuse and neglect. It has sent a powerful message to other towns and cities across the country to re-examine their local laws and enforcement regarding the care, use and treatment of elephants and the best example of this is the state of Assam. Upon receiving the order, PETA wrote to other states again asking them to follow Mumbai's compassionate decision. In response, Mr MC Malakar, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden – Assam, issued a circular asking his officials to enforce the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and confiscate all elephants who are being used for begging. For a copy of this circular, please click here. To see the letter written by PETA on why elephants should not remain in captivity, please click here.
The ban comes on the heels of a report – which PETA presented to the Mumbai commissioner of police and the chief conservator of forests, Thane Circle pointing out many of the problems associated with allowing elephants on roads and outside temples in the city, including cruelty to animals, the threat to human life and property, and the possible transmission to humans of tuberculosis and anthrax. PETA also pointed out the violations of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960; the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972; the Performing Animals (Registration) Rule, 2001; the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959; and the Bombay Police Act with regard to the importation and use of elephants in Mumbai. Click here to read PETA's letter.
Elephants in Mumbai are forced to walk on scorching-hot, pothole-ridden roads in busy traffic amid a cacophony of horns and engines. When they are not working, they are chained by their legs – unable even to move a single foot. They suffer from skin and foot ailments, eye infections and cataracts.
In 2006, an elephant named Laxmi was hit by a water tanker in Mumbai. Because proper medical attention could not be provided, Laxmi suffered with her injuries for more than a day before dying. Another elephant in Mumbai was frightened by a fire cracker and fell onto a car. The mahout fled the scene, and the elephant went on a rampage, requiring an entire platoon of SRPF and 60 police personnel to subdue her.
Elephants are social animals; in the wild, females live in close-knit family groups. They spend about 18 hours a day walking, feeding, bathing in water holes and interacting with other elephants. They are known to mourn the loss of relatives, just as humans do. In captivity, elephants are separated from their families as babies and are sentenced to a lifetime of boredom, loneliness and abuse.
Last month, John Abraham, Mike Pandey and PETA met with Shri Babbanrao Pachpute, Maharashtra's minister of state for forests. At the meeting, the minister gave his assurance for setting up an elephant sanctuary in Maharashtra for the captive elephants in the state. We are now asking other states to follow suit and not only ban the usage of captive elephants but set up elephant sanctuaries so that captive elephants in the states will be able to get a lifetime of care. Of course, we also are insisting that no one should be allowed to get any more captive elephants.
Apart from this, the elephants in some of the temples in Kerala have also found some relief. The Sivagiri Mutt or spiritual institution, which controls 30 temples in the palm-fringed coastal state of Kerala, said that it would no longer use elephants during the popular festivals. Veterinary officials say the elephants, which are decorated with heavy ornaments and large idols, get upset because of the big crowds which attend the festivals and the long hours that they must spend under the scorching sun. The elephants often run amok, trampling people. In Kerala, 40 elephant handlers or mahouts and 45 onlookers died in 2006 and 15 mahouts and six members of the public have been killed already this year.
What You Can Do
Please thank Mumbai and Assam officials and the Sivagiri Mutt for taking action to improve the plight of captive elephants in Mumbai. Please send polite comments to:Mr Shree Bhagwan
Chief Conservator of Forests, Thane Circle, Thane (MS)
Near Micro-Wave Tower
12 Bungalow Area
Kopri, Thane (East) 400 603
Mr KL Prasad
Joint Commissioner of Police (Law & Order)
Police Commissioner's Officer
1st Fl, DN Road
Opp Crawford Market
Mumbai 400 001
Mr MC Malakar
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife)
Government of Assam
O/o The Chief Conservator of Forests
Rehabari
Guwahati 781 008
Assam
Swami PrakashanandaStand up for elephants who are abused in zoos and circuses.
The Sree Narayana Dharma Sanghom Trust
Sivagiri Mutt, Varkala
Thiruvananthapuram 695 141
Kerala
Join PETA and make a donation to support our work.
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