Elephants are the social, intelligent giants of the animal kingdom. However, in the name of God, elephants are being made to endure a lifetime of hell. These miserable animals are stolen from their families, confined for long periods of time in chains and forced by the fear of a beating to live a lonely existence while taking part in religious festivals like the Kumbh Mela.

Elephants are protected under Schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and under Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Yet each elephant used for such festivals has her spirit broken through rigid training in order to make her perform unnatural acts, and she lives in constant fear of punishment.

Elephants have to march for days to reach the Kumbh Mela. There, they are commonly used as a conveyance, made to perform tricks and forced to work amongst enormous crowds and ear-splitting fireworks that confuse and frighten them. To elephants, there is little difference between the sounds of fireworks and the sounds of being attacked in an all-out war.

Also, considering the recent rise in violence toward humans by elephants who are fed up with being abused, unless officials ban the use of elephants at festivals like the Kumbh Mela, it may just be a matter of time before some of the 50-lakh pilgrims who take part are harmed by desperate elephants on a rampage.

The state government is reportedly concerned about the lack of manpower and machinery at Kumbh Mela to manage the animals in case they lose control because of mobs and noise. According to the chief conservator of forests in Nasik, the department does not have trained personnel to control the animals. Although the administration has requested that large animals not be brought to the Mela, the idea has thus far been rejected.

Please urge the Kumbh Mela administration to stop using elephants for Kumbh Mela rituals or for any future festivals in order to protect both the animals and the pilgrims: