PETA India Donates Life – Size Mechanical Elephant Thessery Ananthapadmanabhan to Cheekamundi Sree Mahavishnu Temple, in Kerala
PETA India has donated a life-size mechanical elephant Thessery Ananthapadmanabhan to the Cheekamundi Sree Mahavishnu Temple in Kerala.
Acharyan Srimad Swami Devachaitanyanda Saraswati unveiled Thessery Ananthapadmanabhan, who will be used to conduct ceremonies at the temple in a safe and cruelty-free manner, helping real elephants stay with their families in the jungle.
The initiative was facilitated by PETA India in recognition of the temple’s compassionate decision to discontinue the use of real elephants starting this year. While the temple used live elephants until last year, they have chosen to never own or hire live elephants. This new mechanical elephant, Thessery Ananthapadmanabhan, is the 13th mechanical elephant donation in Kerala. With this addition, PETA India has now donated 24 robotic elephants across the country.
“It is always a stressful environment for both the animals and the temple authorities to have live elephants at such events. It is truly a relief to welcome this mechanical elephant, and we believe this will pave the way for many other temples to adopt similar initiatives in the future.”
– KI Purushothaman, Temple President
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Elephants are intelligent, active, and gregarious wild animals. In captivity, they are trained to be used in processions through beatings, the use of weapons and force. Most elephants held captive in temples and other places suffer from excruciating foot problems and leg wounds due to chaining to concrete for hours on end. Most are denied adequate food, water, veterinary care, and any semblance of a natural life. Under these hellish conditions, many elephants become intensely frustrated and lash out, often killing mahouts or other humans or animals.
Mechanical elephants are 3-meters tall and weigh 500 kilograms. They are made with rubber, fibre, metal, mesh, foam, and steel and run on five motors. A mechanical elephant looks, feels, and can be used like a real elephant. It can shake its head, move its ears and eyes, swish its tail, lift its trunk, and even spray water. They can be climbed upon, and a seat can be affixed on the back. They can be operated simply by plugging and playing with electricity. They can be taken through the streets and are mounted on a wheelbase, allowing them to be moved and pushed around for rituals and processions.
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