Anushka Sharma and other stars Horrified by Jaipur Elephant Beating
Updated as of 24 April 2024:
After PETA India’s years long vigorous campaign, Malti, filmed beaten by handlers and forced to haul tourists at Amer Fort, is now rescued and rehabilitated at Vantara sanctuary. More updates here.
Anushka Sharma left audiences scared with her recent box-office hit horror film, Pari, but what left her horrified is the heart-breaking image of an elephant, known only as , being violently beaten by numerous men. This animal is used for carrying tourists at Amber Fort in Jaipur.
On Saturday, Anushka tweeted the image, saying the following:
Can you imagine the world we live in ? Hurting a voiceless being that is being used to carry humans around for nothing all day !! Shame shame shame on these ‘humans’. Aches my heart to see such brutality by my own kind ! Sickening ! pic.twitter.com/2t13KEug1d
— Anushka Sharma (@AnushkaSharma) March 17, 2018
Can you imagine the world we live in? Hurting a voiceless being that is being used to carry humans around for nothing all day! Shame shame shame on these ‘humans’. Aches my heart to see such brutality by my own kind! Sickening!
The tweet was posted by the actor immediately after PETA India’s Associate Director of Celebrity and Public Relations Sachin Bangera highlighted the plight of this elephant on the same social media platform. Mr Bangera’s tweet was shared by a number of celebrities, including Sunny Leone, Harshvardhan Rane, Pooja Bhatt, Kartik Murali, and Atul Kasbekar. Actor Esha Gupta , who was also shocked by this image, posted the following tweet:
Imagine what animals must be thinking we humans are? Cruel living heartless destroyers of this earth https://t.co/ysBl5tb8VC
— Esha Gupta (@eshagupta2811) March 16, 2018
Imagine what animals must be thinking we humans are? Cruel living heartless destroyers of this earth.
Last month, actor Sonakshi Sinha fired off a letter calling on Rajasthan Minister for Forest, Environment, Youth Affairs and Sports Gajendra Singh Khimsar to relocate this elephant to a rehabilitation facility for urgent care. The letter followed PETA India’s complaint to the Chief Wildlife Warden of the Rajasthan Forest Department, which resulted in a show-cause notice issued to Number 44’s custodian, Wasid Khan, holding him responsible for the abuse. The notice stated that an investigation carried out by the Regional Forest Officer for Jaipur Zoo, as well as a photograph supplied by an American witness, indicated that the elephant had been treated cruelly, in apparent violation of numerous animal-protection laws. The Jaipur police also registered a First Information Report against unidentified men under Sections 289 and 429 of the Indian Penal Code for mistreating the elephant and putting public safety at risk. However, Khan was later allowed to use her for rides.
Captive elephants, such as the ones forced to give rides in Jaipur, are often beaten mercilessly, 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.
You can help stop cruel elephant rides in Jaipur. Sign this petition and share with your friends:
