120 Veterinarians Declare Abused Elephant Malti Is Psychologically Suffering; Rajasthan Chief Minister Urged to Rescue Her and Disturbed Elephant Gouri

For Immediate Release:

9 February 2023

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Jaipur – Today, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India held a press conference to share video footage of elephant Malti repetitively swaying and bobbing her head – signs of severe psychological distress in captive elephants – and a veterinary opinion signed by 120 veterinarians. The veterinary opinion document confirms she is suffering psychologically and calls for her rehabilitation at an elephant care centre. Malti is used for tourist rides at Amer Fort despite having a history of running amok and fighting with another elephant, after which she was severely beaten in public. PETA India has sent a letter to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot urging him to ensure the rescue and rehabilitation of elephants Malti and Gouri for their welfare and public safety. Gouri recently lashed out and attacked a shopkeeper, leading to the man’s hospitalisation. PETA India is also calling for Malti’s rescue in Amer magistrates’ court.

The video showing Malti’s poor psychological state and a factsheet of dangerous incidents involving attacks by upset and frustrated elephants used for rides at Amer Fort is available upon request.

Malti continues to be used for rides, putting tourists at risk, even though the government body Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) recorded her anxiety and a Rajasthan government health certificate labelled her unhealthy and unsound. She is also in illegal custody, as her ownership certificate expired last year. Similarly, according to a 2018 AWBI report, elephant Gouri is being kept in Rajasthan illegally.

“Despite being held illegally, Malti and Gouri have been used to carry tourists at Amer Fort and are chained in place when not in use,” says PETA India Director of Advocacy Projects Khushboo Gupta. “Through their actions, these elephants are telling us they have had enough. PETA India is urging Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to order the immediate rehabilitation of these elephants at a reputable sanctuary where they could live unchained and heal from their trauma and to replace the use of elephants with decorated electric cars.”

The AWBI has also noted that Malti is suffering from overgrown, cracked toenails and bruised and uneven footpads caused by a life on concrete. Earlier, the office of then Forest and Environment Minister of Rajasthan Shri Sukhram Vishnoi had directed the chief wildlife warden of Rajasthan to immediately rescue and rehabilitate Malti – but that still has not happened.

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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