For Immediate Release:
10 January 2025
Contact:
Hiraj Laljani; HirajL@petaindia.org
Khushboo Gupta; KhushbooG@petaindia.org
Malappuram – After the recent horrific incident during the Yahum Thangal Valiya Nercha processions in which an upset elephant, Paakkath Sreekuttan attacked and injured atleast 24 devotees, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has sent a letter offering to donate an innovative lifelike mechanical elephant to the officials of Yahum Thangal Maqam, to prioritize both community safety and compassionate celebrations.
PETA India ignited the sympathetic movement of replacing live elephants in temples at the beginning of 2023 and now, at least twelve mechanical elephants are used in temples across south India, of which PETA India was involved with donating seven such life-size mechanical elephants to temples in Kerala and Karnataka in recognition of temple’s decisions to never to own or hire live elephants. These mechanical elephants are now used to conduct ceremonies at their temples in a safe and cruelty-free manner, helping real elephants stay with their families in the jungle.
In the letter, PETA India Senior Advocacy Officer Farhat Ul Ain says, “Elephants are wild animals and inherently unpredictable, especially in large, noisy crowds. Anything can trigger an elephant, which can make them attack”. Farhat added, “Such attacks underscore the urgency to embrace options such as mechanical elephants, ornate palanquins and chariots that will preserve the cultural grandeur of processions, sparing animals and humans from harm”.
Mechanical elephants are 3-meter-tall and weigh 800 kilograms. They are made with rubber, fiber, metal, mesh, foam, and steel and run on five motors. A mechanical elephant looks, feels, and can be used like a real elephant. It can shake its head, move its ears and eyes, swish its tail, lift its trunk, and even spray water. They can be climbed upon, and a seat can be affixed on the back. They can be operated simply by plugging and playing with electricity and taken through the streets. They are mounted on a wheelbase, allowing them to be moved and pushed around for rituals and processions
Elephants are extremely clever, active, and gregarious wild animals. In captivity, they are trained to be used in processions by forcibly controlling them into obedience, including beatings and the use of weapons to cause suffering. Many elephants held captive in temples and other places suffer from extremely painful foot problems and leg wounds due to being chained to concrete for hours on end. Most are denied adequate food, water, veterinary care, and any semblance of a natural life. Under these hellish conditions, many elephants become intensely frustrated and lash out, sometimes killing mahouts or other humans. According to the Heritage Animal Task Force, captive elephants killed 526 people in Kerala in a 15-year period. Recent media reports indicate that activists in Kerala have documented over 60 incidents of negative encounters with elephants during Pooram Parades over the past two seasons, resulting in numerous human injuries, some of which have been fatal.
PETA India advocates for all venues and events currently using elephants to switch to lifelike mechanical elephants or other means in place of real elephants.
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 X, Facebook, or Instagram.
#
The post PETA India Offers Mechanical Elephant Solution to the Kerala Mosque for Public Safety and Compassionate Celebrations After Latest Attack appeared first on PETA India.