Update: Criminals Who Beat Up Elephant in Viral Video Charged

You’ve likely seen the video of two men mercilessly beating a tethered elephant in Tamil Nadu, and you have every right to be upset.

According to news reports, the attack occurred inside a rejuvenation camp, which is supposedly where animals are sent to be nurtured back to good health, and it resulted in the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments Department suspending the two mahouts. The assaulted elephant was identified as Jeymalyatha of the Srivilliputhur Nachiyar Thirukovil temple.

Forest officials who took cognisance of the case told PETA India that both perpetrators were arrested and booked under Rule 13 of Tamil Nadu Captive Elephants (Management and Maintenance) Rules, 2011, and Section 51 of the WPA. The accused were later released on bail by a local magistrate court.

This tragedy painfully demonstrates why using captive elephants for festivals, rides, or any other form of entertainment is 100% cruel. Elephants are beaten, into submission with painful weapons, commonly kept hungry and dehydrated, forced to stand in their own waste for long durations, denied proper veterinary care, and shackled when they’re not being forced to perform. Many elephants used for various events and performances exhibit signs of severe psychological distress, including head-bobbing, swaying, and weaving, and even visually impaired and injured elephants are often forced to toil for humans.

Swaying behavior in elephants is a sheer sign of psychological stress due to captivity.

Don’t steal their freedom!
Never support rides, circuses or any other form of entertainment that use elephants. #WorldWildlifeWeek pic.twitter.com/okQ6yB6ypm

— PETA India (@PetaIndia) March 4, 2020

Captive elephants know only suffering. When PETA India learned about an elephant named Sunder who was given to a temple as a baby, his body was covered with injuries and scars from routine abuse. He was kept chained in solitary confinement, and after years of campaigns for his release, he was transferred to the Bannerghatta Biological Park, where he enjoys swimming with friends and getting treats from his wonderful caretakers.

It’s wrong to abuse, enslave, and exploit highly social elephants who would otherwise spend their entire lives with their families in nature, rely on their elders’ wisdom and judgment, and walk up to dozens of kilometres a day while foraging for fresh food.

Help PETA India end the cruel use of elephants for festivals, rides, and any other form of entertainment by never patronising such acts and signing our action alert!