Latest Amer Elephant Attack Prompts Renewed PETA India Push to Ban Rides
For Immediate Release:
07 November 2022
Contact:
Hiraj Laljani; [email protected]
Arunima Kedia; [email protected]
Jaipur – After a recent attack by elephant Gouri left a local shopkeeper with severe injuries including fractured ribs, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India held an emergency meeting with Government of Rajasthan Chief Secretary Smt Usha Sharma on Friday to urge the state to replace all elephants used for rides with eco-friendly electric chariots and to transfer the elephants to rehabilitation centres where they can live unchained and in the company of other elephants. Gouri was being taken to Amer Fort, and locals reported she has a history of violence towards humans. Through a factsheet, PETA India points out that this is only the latest in a string of incidents that have put tourists in harm’s way or caused human deaths around Amer Fort.
“Captive elephants are controlled through pain and fear. This often causes these sensitive animals to run amok or lash out,” says PETA India Director of Advocacy Projects Khushboo Gupta. “Before more people are hurt or killed, PETA India is calling on officials to get these elephants to reputable sanctuaries and to replace the dangerous rides with e-chariots.”
The letter by PETA India submitted to the chief secretary and the factsheet is available upon request.
In a letter submitted to the chief secretary, PETA India explains that close to 100 elephants are held captive in Rajasthan, with the majority used for tourist rides, weddings, and movies – often without valid ownership certificates and without permission from the Animal Welfare Board of India, making the state a hub for illegal wildlife trafficking. When these elephants attack humans, beatings and other punishments typically follow, which only make the animals more frustrated and upset. Moreover, elephants are common carriers of tuberculosis that can infect humans. PETA India has previously highlighted that elephants who have tested positive for tuberculosis have still been used for rides.
PETA India notes that the use of elephant rides in Rajasthan violates a number of laws, including the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972; The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960; the Performing Animals (Registration) Rules, 2001; and a 2010 circular of Rajasthan government mandating the registration of elephants used in performances.
PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
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