Chained Pink ‘Elephants,’ Demand End to Elephant Rides Ahead of Save The Elephant Day in Memory of Chanchal
In light of mounting global concerns surrounding the treatment of elephants used for rides following the death of Chanchal an elephant who was body painted pink for a commercial photoshoot and who had previously been used for rides—PETA India supporters gathered in Jaipur, in the lead up to Save The Elephant Day (16 April), to urge the public to opt for motorized vehicles and other non-animal means instead of riding elephants. Wearing pink geometric elephant masks, chains, and pink suits, with palms painted blood-red and holding placards reading “End Elephant Rides, In Memory of Chanchal”, the participants appealed for an end to the use of elephants for “entertainment”.
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Elephants used for rides are separated from their mothers at a young age and are subject to violent training methods and beaten until they obey. They are then chained for long hours and forced to work in hot pavement conditions that cause painful foot and musculoskeletal problems like arthritis, and are threatened with weapons to force them to continue. According to a 2020 Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change report, many of the elephants at Amer Fort are also partially blind.
Frustrated elephants often lash out. For instance, an elephant named Gouri (“ride no 86”) severely injured a male shopkeeper in Amer in October 2022 and later attacked a female Russian tourist on 13 February 2024 in the main courtyard of Amer Fort. Following PETA India’s intervention, Gouri’s rides at Amer Fort were suspended, but she has yet to be sent to a sanctuary. According to a 2018 Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) report, Gouri is being kept in Rajasthan illegally, without a valid ownership certificate.
PETA India has written to Shri. K.C.A. Arun Prasad, IFS, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) & Chief Wildlife Warden, and is seeking a more thorough investigation into the circumstances that led to Chanchal’s death.
