Russian Victim of Elephant Gouri’s Attack at Amer Fort Makes Heartfelt Plea for the Animal’s Rescue

Posted on March 6, 2024 at 10:52 am by Erika Goyal

The victim of a recent attack by elephant Gouri (“ride no 86”), a Russian woman named Kochetova Mariia, has joined PETA India’s clarion call for Gouri, who was used for tourist rides at Amer Fort, to be moved to a sanctuary by writing to Rajasthan’s Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister for Tourism, Art and Culture, and Archaeology and Museums Diya Kumari making a heartfelt appeal for the elephant’s rescue and rehabilitation. In her letter, Mariia notes that she has come to learn that the same elephant attacked a shopkeeper just 16 months before. Out of concern for public safety and the animal’s welfare, PETA India has been appealing to the Rajasthan government to urgently move Gouri to a sanctuary, where she could begin to recover from the mental trauma of a lifetime of enslavement.

Mariia writes, “I do not wish for Gouri to be punished. Instead, I believe she has been punished enough by a lifetime of being trained with violence and forced to give rides, which clearly upsets her. For Gouri’s mental health and to protect other humans from a potential fatal attack, I urge you to please stop forcing Gouri to give rides and send Gouri to a sanctuary where she can begin to recover from her mental anguish, live unchained and in the company of other elephants.”

Watch the terrifying footage showing the moment Gouri attacked the tourist in the main courtyard of Amer Fort near Jaipur, Rajasthan, here:

Another elephant named Malti (“no 44”) remains in captivity in Amer, even though a team of veterinarians constituted by the High Powered Committee of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India recommended her rehabilitation at a sanctuary as she has been noted to be suffering from anxiety in various government-issued health reports and certificates.