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Elephants suffer as well
WHAT TORTURE! Elephants being physically tortured
A full-grown tusker was captured recently under the orders of the Kerala Forest Minister and put through `training' required to make him obedient. During the training, the elephant was tortured to death.
The news did not bring national outcry and so animal talk wishes to highlight his story and others like him. Though assumed rogue and captured by the Kerala Forest Department (KFD) with the proposal to `train' him, the real reason was that the tribals complained about him destroying crops, allegedly killing people.
Being a lone elephant that loves koda the illicit liquor brew, commonly manufactured in the Kottur region, he was an animal who fit the profile of a rogue. There was no data available with the Forest Department of an official study or enquiry into the allegation of loss of crops and human life this elephant may have caused.
Even the practice of khedda (wild elephant capture operations), had been banned by the Indian Government decades ago because it left several elephants severely maimed and injured. It involves the process of the kraal operations, similar to the Phajaan system of torture in Thailand . These brutal training methods are clearly violations of Section 11 (1) clauses (a), (b), (e), (f), (h), & (l) ; Section 3 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, India,1960.
Government Orders have banned elephant capture following the brutal training and eventual death of an elephant as these examples illustrate:
In Kerala, an elephant captured inWynad in 1995 died in the process of training soon afterwards. In Karnataka, training a calf led to its death in 2001. In Chattisgarh, a captured elephant died in 2004, such was the outcry that the practice was discontinued by the Indian Government. There are videos and reports of wild elephant training - both of calves and adults - if seen will send one into bouts of horror and tears.
The animals are brutalised to the point of physical and mental collapse and the violent beatings by sticks, spears and the ankush causes such damage that many do not survive the process. The few who do, always carry a great scar and can be dangerous to man and mahout.
The human-elephant conflict is growing, and there are many other measures which can be put into place. In this incident, a strategy to discourage the number of brews in the Podiyakkala Kani tribal settlement range that are attracting wild elephants would greatly benefit.
The elephants can be released in the larger landscape of the Periyar- Agasthyamalai. So why then do we allow the death of elephants through torture?In the name of tradition? In the name of the Ministry of Wildlife & Forests? In the name of the Circus? It is time these practices of elephant torture - both obsolete and illegal- are dealt with in the manner they deserve.
AMALA AKKINENI
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