Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The Kerala government on Saturday directed officials concerned to strictly implement laws under The Captive Elephant Management Rules following a rise in the number of incidents involving elephants participating in temple festivals becoming wild,causing hardship to people.

The officials should ensure that elephants engaged for temple festivals were free of any disease and the Festival committees should obtain a certificate from a veterinary doctor, an official press release said here on Saturday.

The temple festival committee authorities should give the details of elephants engaged for the festival to respective district and revenue officials 72 hours before the festival.

Elephants should not be escorted through roads in hot weather from one festival centre to another without giving the animal necessary rest, the release said. If the elephant was transported in a lorry, a certificate should be obtained from the Chief Wild Life Warden. The elephant also should not be transported in lorries to more than 50 km, it said.

Reflector should be installed in the lorry if the elephants were transported during night time, it said. The first mahout shoud be in front of the elephant during the time of temple festival and strict action should be taken he was found to have consumed liquor. The elephants should be chained during the time of festival and without the permission of the veterinary doctor, the elephant should not be given any medicine, the release added.

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