Jaipur , Nov 7.– After a recent attack by elephant Gouri left a local shopkeeper with severe injuries including fractured ribs, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India held an emergency meeting with Chief Secretary Smt Usha Sharma on Friday urging the state to replace the use of elephants such as for rides with eco-friendly electric chariots and to send all the elephants to rehabilitation centres where they can live unchained and in the company of other elephants.
Gouri was being taken to Amer Fort, and locals reported she has a history of violence towards humans. Through a factsheet (https://www.petaindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Factsheet.pdf) PETA India points out that this is only the latest in a string of incidents that have put tourists in harm’s way or caused human deaths around Amer Fort.
“Captive elephants are controlled through pain and fear. This often causes these sensitive animals to run amok or lash out,” says PETA India Director of Advocacy Projects Khushboo Gupta. “Before more people are hurt or killed, PETA India is calling on officials to get these elephants to reputable sanctuaries and to replace the dangerous rides with e-chariots.”
PETA India’s letter (https://www.petaindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Letter-2.pdf) submitted to the Chief Secretary explains that close to 100 elephants are held captive in Rajasthan, with the majority used for tourist rides, weddings, and movies – often without valid ownership certificates and without permission from the Animal Welfare Board of India, making the state a hub of illegal wildlife trafficking.
When these elephants attack humans, beatings and other punishments typically follow, which only make the animals more frustrated and upset. Moreover, elephants are common carriers of tuberculosis that can infect humans. PETA India has previously highlighted that elephants who have tested positive for tuberculosis have been continued to be used for rides.
PETA India notes that elephant rides in Rajasthan stand in contradiction to a number of laws, including the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972; the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960; the Performing Animals (Registration) Rules, 2001; and a 2010 circular of Rajasthan government mandating registration for the use of elephants in performances.
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.(File Photo Social Media)
