Based on an online report of ill-treating Neelakandan, a temple elephant, the Kerala High Court took suo moto cognisance against the Sree Dharma Sastha temple, in Kollam. The temple comes under the administration of Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB). A video was captured by a PFA member that showed the pathetic condition of the animal which led to the case, reported The News Minute.

What happened?

The video that was captured two weeks ago, showed large wounds in the rear and the front leg of the elephant. The 20-year-old Neelakandan could not stand properly because of the injuries and was trying to shift his body weight to the other leg. He looked weak as if he has not been fed for weeks.

A people for Animals (PFA) member saw the distressed animal while he was feeding an injured dog in the temple premises. “But since the visit was during night time, he could not understand the exact situation. Next morning, he shot videos, from which we understood the real plight of the elephant,” said Sreedevi S Kartha, a PFA member, TNM reported.

All the injuries on the elephant were the result of torture and harassment as if he was beaten up with knives and sticks. “His front left leg is also damaged, which makes his movements painful. If the wounds had been treated on time, he could have been cured,” Sreedevi added.

Reportedly, he was tied up during his musth period (behavioural change in male elephants, during their mating period). But even after his musth period, he was not freed.

The High Court hearing and PFA demands

After observing the awful condition of Neelakandan, the PFA activist met K Raju, Minister of Forest and Wildlife Protection. Later, the minister directed PK Keshav, Chief Wildlife Warden, to take action over the issue. And CWW, in turn, asked Forest Range Officer in Kollam to take care of the matter.

The court hearing is scheduled on Tuesday. According to PFA, the elephant should be handed over to the Forest Department, since, Devaswom Board failed to provide care and protection to the animal. PFA has asked for expert doctors for treatments from Delhi for Neelakandan and demanded that he should be shifted to Kottur elephant sanctuary.

Reportedly, the PFA also spoke about the time when a panel of doctors from both Devaswom Board and Forest Department had said that treating the elephant will be difficult. All elephants are tied during their musth period but they are freed and treated right after their musth period gets over. But, in Neelakanda’s case, it was different. He allegedly was left tied up and was ignored for years which made his condition even worse, said TNM report.

Latha Indira of PFA said that it would be beneficial for the elephant if he is shifted to Kottur. “It will also have to be checked if it will be practical to shift the elephant to the hospital in Delhi,” she added. Latha also said that their actions on this issue will be based on the court’s decision.

While Neelakanda waits for court decision, Rohini joins rejuvenation camp

Rohini, an elephant who was illegally possessed by a man for several years has now reached Annamalai with Virudhunagar forest to join 48-day long rejuvenation camp for elephants. She will be kept in isolation for one week for veterinarians to understand her health condition. This decision was taken by Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) field director D Ganesan for the safety of the animals being maintained at Kozhikamuthi and Chinnar, reported The New Indian Express.

“We will allow her to mingle with other elephants only after she is free from any disease. This will be known only after assessing her health,” Ganesan said.

Pathetic condition of captive elephants in India

As per a government data, India has about 3,500 elephants in captivity- in forest camps, zoos, temples, travel and tourism, etc., reported Hindustan Times. These elephants are ill-treated and suffer the most in temples and the tourism sector. However, their condition is slightly better in forest camps.

According to Suparna Ganguly of Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (CUPA), 73 captive elephants in Kerala and 5 in Tamil Nadu have died since 2016.

“The data for captive elephants in India, that is available, is 20 years old. The recent data is yet to come on 31 December as the Supreme court has directed all the states to get the number of elephants,” she added while talking to The Logical Indian.

She also said that many temples fail to provide proper infrastructure to take care of elephants. “They cannot afford to give nutritious-wholesome diet to these “complex” animals. They also need to walk and socialize every day, which they cannot do if captivated and isolated,” she added.

These elephants have never seen wildlife. They have been captured since they were babies. “They will probably die if we leave them in jungles. That’s the reason forest camps are working hard to fulfil at least half of their needs,” said Ganguly.

The Logical Indian Take

There are many laws for the protection of elephants apart from the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. Prevention of Cruelty of Animals Act, 1960, also states the guidelines for the welfare of captive elephants. But what government lacks here is proper implementation and strict actions.

“The government should not move the elephants from good confinements to bad ones, which has now stopped to some extent. But what has not stopped is illegal possession. Even though everyone knows about the illegal sale and purchase, they choose to keep their eyes closed and mouth shut,” said Ganguly.

There are many animals like Neelakandan and Rohini who suffer physical and mental torture every day. While the government can take strict actions for the abuse they go through, we, on the other hand, can avoid enjoying elephant back rides and dangerous stunts they perform for our entertainment. The Logical Indian believes that it is not just the government’s responsibility to protect them, but also, the owners need to realise on their own that what they are doing is wrong.

Also Read: Elephant Population Decline: SC Asks States To Collect Data On ‘Captive’ Elephants