Author Shobhaa De Urges Rajasthan Government to Make Elephant Rides History During Jaipur Literature Festival
For Immediate Release:
14 March 2022
Contact:
Hiraj Laljani; [email protected]
Khushboo Gupta; [email protected]
Jaipur – During the ongoing Jaipur Literature Festival, where Shobhaa De is a speaker, the top author sent a letter on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India calling on Rajasthan Minister for Forest, Environment and Climate Change Hemaram Choudhary to phase out cruel elephant rides at Amer Fort and retire the elephants to sanctuaries where they can live unchained in one another’s company.
A copy of De’s letter is available upon request.
“[A]n inspection report from the committee constituted by the Project Elephant Division of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change also seeks to phase out elephant rides at Amer Fort, citing aging elephants and tourists’ declining preference for elephant rides,” De writes. “I respectfully request that you take immediate steps to switch to the use of electric carriages or other non-animal vehicles.”
In February 2021, following recommendations by a central government–appointed committee and requests made by PETA India to implement those recommendations, the Rajasthan Forest Department directed the Department of Archaeology and Museums to stop using 20 medically unfit elephants for tourist rides at Amer Fort. Out of 16 other unfit elephants, 14 suffer from ailments like vision problems caused by corneal opacity and cataracts and chronic foot problems like overgrown nails and flat footpads from walking on concrete roads – yet they are still used for rides at Amer Fort. One elephant died before the committee’s report had been submitted.
PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment” – notes that captive elephants, such as those forced to give rides at Amer Fort near Jaipur, are often beaten, denied adequate food and veterinary care, and suffer from foot problems and arthritis because of long periods spent standing on hard surfaces. Many develop neurotic forms of behaviour and die prematurely.
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