Help End Cruel Elephant Rides in Jaipur

After a group of American tourists visiting Amber Fort near Jaipur witnessed and documented a group of menphysically attacking an elephant who tried to escape the misery of carrying tourists uphill in extreme heat, one woman filed a cruelty complaint with PETA. The tourists watched in horror as eight men, including the mahout, beat the suffering elephant with sticks for up to 10 minutes after recapturing the animal.

Excessive violence against elephants is disturbingly common in Jaipur. An extensive inspection of captive elephants used for rides and other tourist activities– authorised by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) andconducted by experienced veterinarians and animal-welfare experts from PETA, Animal Rahat, Wildlife SOS, and the Centre for Studies on Elephants at the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in Kerala – revealed rampant abuse and invalid ownership certificates in apparent violation of animal-protection laws. Most of the inspected elephants were categorised as "emaciated", and all suffered from physical ailments.

The Honourable High Court of Kerala – through its orders of 2014 and 2015 on two different matters, mandated that elephants used for rides must be registered with theAWBI under the Performing Animals (Registration) Rules (PARR), 2001. Through a 2010 circular, the Government of Rajasthan mandated that for elephants to be used in any film, serial, advertisement, ad-film, function, sport, event, exhibition, mela, or other performance, including for rides, the owner must register withthe AWBI under PARR, 2001. However, none of the elephants used for rides in Jaipur are registered with the AWBI.

The nightmare of captivity never ends for elephants in Jaipur: mahouts routinely beat and jab them with iron-tipped wooden sticks, spiked chains, and ankuses (in violation of the directives of the Rajasthan High Court) and even pierce their sensitive ears and drill holes into their tusks. In nature, elephants can walk up to 50 kilometres daily foraging for food, but captive elephants in Jaipur are constantly chained – sometimes with spiked hobbles – and forced to stand on hard, concrete floors, causing painful foot problems. Even elephants who are visually impaired or injured are forced to carry people under the blazing sun.

Tearing elephants from their families, beating the minto submission, and forcing themto give rides to tourists is cruel. In fact, the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, prohibits capturing them. In nature, they are highly social creatures who live in close-knit, matriarchal herd societies. Mothers often do not wean their babies until they are almost 10 years old, but cruel captors separate elephants as young as 3 years old from their mothers.

Join PETA in calling on authorities in Jaipur to protect one of India's most sacred animals by putting an end to all elephant rides in the area immediately.

View Message +

Vasundhara

Raje

Mr.

Viswanatha

Reddy

Forest Department of Rajasthan

Dear Authorities,

India is world-renowned for its reverence for animals, so it pains me to learn that elephants are being viciously abused for rides in and around Jaipur. The recent incident at Amber Fort in which a captive elephant used for rides was beaten – a video of which has gone viral on social media – should serve as a wake-up call to end this reckless and inhumane activity.

An inspection authorised by the Animal Welfare Board of India of elephants used for rides in Jaipur documented animals suffering from open wounds, foot ailments, and acute psychological stress from routine tethering and beatings with weapons that are restricted by the Rajasthan High Court's order. Mahouts also routinely deny elephants adequate veterinary care and food and force animals to carry people in intense heat, even if their vision is impaired or they are injured.

The inspection report also revealed that although the Elephant Village (Hathigaon) – where many of the elephants forced to give rides in Jaipur are kept – operates like a captive-animal facility, it does not have the recognition of the Central Zoo Authority and is therefore apparently illegal. In addition to these violations, the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, prohibits the capture of elephants, but many captive elephants are believed to have been illegally abducted from their families in the wild and forced into a life of physical and psychological torment.

The elephant rides at Amber Fort are apparently illegal, too, as none of the animals used are registered with the AWBI under the Performing Animals (Registration) Rules, 2001, as mandated by the 2014 and 2015 orders of Honourable Kerala High Court and the 2010 circular of the Government of Rajasthan.

The world is wising up to cruelty to animals disguised as tourist activities. TripAdvisor – the largest travel website in the world – announced in October that it will no longer sell tickets to animal "attractions" – including elephant rides – that put wild and endangered animals, as well as travellers, in danger. More than 100 travel agencies – including global operators such as The Travel Corporation, Intrepid Travel, and TUI Group – have pledged not to include elephant rides and shows in their itineraries.

Without your kind intervention, this cruelty will persist and continue to tarnish India's image. I request that you use your authority to safeguard elephants, our nation's heritage animal, by immediately ending all elephant rides and retiring captive elephants to reputable sanctuaries, where they can live out their lives free from chains. Thank you.

Help Put an End to Elephant Rides in Jaipur

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#ProtectBulls. Take action to help keep bullock cart races banned.

Bullock Cart Races Hurt Bulls

Dear Chief Minister,

I was troubled to learn that the Maharashtra government has passed an amendment to The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, to permit bullock cart races in the state. Overwhelming evidence has shown that such events traumatise bullocks, which goes against our nation's central animal-protection legislation, Maharashtra's commitment to protecting cows and their young, and India's global image as a country that is kind to cattle.

The Honourable Supreme Court – the highest court in India – banned bullock cart races on 7 May 2014 for good reason: bullocks' large abdomens and cloven hooves mean they are not anatomically suited to racing, so scaring them into doing so is grotesquely cruel. The Honourable High Court of Bombay has passed an order stating that it is bound by the observations and views of the 2014 Supreme Court judgment and has stayed the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Maharashtra Amendment) Act, 2017. The High Court also clarified that no bullock cart races are permitted in Maharashtra, even if the state government notifies the Maharashtra Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Conduct of Bullock Cart Race) Rules, 2017.

Legalising bullock cart races goes against the Constitution of India's mandate of compassion for animals and apparently contravenes other statutes, such as Section 119 of The Bombay Police Act, 1951. It is also apparently counter to the spirit of the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, 1995, as harming animals is not limited to killing them but rather includes all forms of cruelty, such as causing the physical and psychological suffering that is inherent in bullock cart races .

I hope the Maharashtra government will repeal the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Maharashtra Amendment) Act, 2017, and thereby spare bulls immense suffering in bullock cart races.

http://petain.vg/3f0