Actor Sonu Sood, Ayaan Sood, PETA India, and People for Cattle in India Gift Life-Size Mechanical Elephant to Chennai’s Sri Sakthi Vinayagar Temple 

For Immediate Release:

28 February 2026

Contact: 

Sanskriti Bansore; [email protected]  

Anushka Yadav; [email protected]   

Chennai – Renowned actor Sonu Sood, his son Ayaan Sood, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals India (PETA India), and People for Cattle in India (PFCI) have donated a life-size mechanical elephant, Airavatham, to Sri Sakthi Vinayagar Temple in Tamil Nadu’s Chennai district.  

Today, Shri B.S.Reddy IOFS, Chief General Manager of Ordinance Clothing factory, Chennai, unveiled Airavatham in the presence of Sri S.S. Murugan IOFS, Chairman of the temple, and temple devotees. The mechanical elephant 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 and PFCI in recognition of the temple’s compassionate decision to never own or hire live elephants. This new mechanical elephant, Airavatham, is the second mechanical elephant donation in Tamil Nadu facilitated by PFCI. With this addition, PETA India has now donated 21 robotic elephants across the country. The mechanical elephant was welcomed through an inauguration ceremony, and Chenda Melam, Silambattam, Nadhaswaram and Kolattam  performance.  

Photos and video of the inaugural launch are available upon request.

The Sood family’s compassion for animals is well known. Sonu Sood said, “Temples are places of compassion, faith, and humanity. When devotion and kindness walk together, divinity shines. I am grateful to support the gifting of this mechanical elephant, Airavatham, so that sacred traditions can continue without causing suffering to any living being. May this initiative bring blessings to devotees and freedom to the elephants.”  

Ayaan Sood, winner of PETA India’s Compassionate Youth Award said, “I feel honoured to be part of gifting Airavatham to Sri Sakthi Vinayagar Temple. By supporting this initiative, we are helping ensure that sacred ceremonies continue in a safe and compassionate way, while real elephants remain free in their natural homes with their families.” 

Shri B.S. Reddy, IOFS, Chief General Manager of the Ordnance Clothing Factory, said, “It is an honour to unveil Airavatham at the Sri Sakthi Vinayagar Temple. This mechanical elephant shows that devotion and compassion can coexist beautifully. This commendable initiative by Sonu Sood, Aayan Sood, PETA India, and PFCI helps uphold the sanctity of traditional rituals while allowing real elephants to remain free in their natural habitats.” 

Sri S.S. Murugan IOFS, Chairman of the temple, said, “We are deeply grateful to Sonu Sood, Ayaan Sood, PETA India, and PFCI for gifting Airavatham to our temple. Our temple has always believed that devotion must reflect compassion. This initiative will honour Lord Vinayagar and inspire other temples to embrace choices that protect both tradition and life.”   

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-meter-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.  

PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours for entertainment” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram. 

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