Emaciated Elephant Abused for Logging in Kerala – PETA India Appeals to Chief Minister for Rescue

After photos and videos of an emaciated elephant named Thekkumkandathilu Parameswaran used for logging began making the rounds on social media, PETA India urged Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to intervene and direct the forest department to rescue and rehabilitate the animal immediately. Video footage shows the reluctant bull elephant being forced to haul a heavy log.

In a complaint to the chief minister, PETA India pointed out numerous violations of animal protection laws – including the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972; The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960; and the Kerala Captive Elephants (Management and Maintenance) Rules, 2012 – as well as central government guidelines with respect to keeping and using an unfit elephant like this one for work.

Parameswaran’s abuse highlights the plight of elephants used for logging, begging, rides, ceremonies, and other purposes in India. Frequently controlled through beatings and prodded and gouged with weapons, they often suffer without veterinary care or adequate nutrition. Many have painful foot rot and leg wounds from being chained for hours on end. They also commonly show physical signs of severe psychological distress – such as swaying, head-bobbing, and weaving – behaviour not seen in healthy elephants in nature. Frustrated captive elephants commonly harm or kill their mahouts or others around them. According to figures compiled by the Heritage Animal Task Force, captive elephants killed 526 people in Kerala in a 15-year span.

As revealed by many Animal Welfare Board of India inspections and PETA India investigations, most elephants in captivity in the country, including in Kerala, are being held illegally or have been transported to a different state without permission.