Dr Mandeep Singh Azad
and Dr Manmeet Motan
“Ban the use of street
elephants. Make it a
crime to force
elephants into slavery”
Few days back walking on Nanak Nagar streets I saw a big elephant on street roaming form one shop to other and everyone stopping and looking at this elephant. When I went close and looked carefully animal was looking weak ,cracked skin, emaciated and begging for food and money for their owners. Seeing this i was really hurt that how can few bananas and few coins be able to fulfill the demand of these beautiful creatures. I asked few questions to its owner that whether he has a license to keep this animal or not but he avoided to reply. Then talking to one of the forest officers I came to know that using these animals illegally for begging is crime.
Street begging is a problem for elephants. It literally means the elephants are wandering the streets with their illegal owners begging for money. Elephants rely on a varied diet for their survival and the diet of a street beggar is very limited and so can lead to terrible health issues and a high mortality rate. City streets are no place for an elephant, the fumes go into their trunks causing respiratory problems, the traffic noise is damaging to their sensitive ears and can cause great distress. Walking on concrete all day and night is very damaging to their feet. The elephants are hungry and often very thirsty with poor access to water, they frequently eat plastic bags and rubbish and drink from leftover bottles desperate to find water. They sleep under bridges with their owners who can often be young and have their own issues such as drug addiction. This is a terrible life for the elephants and extremely damaging to their health. Street begging is now illegal in most cities this can however push the street beggars into rural areas where they are less likely to be reported. Malnutrition, overwork and abuse are common to these large mammals. Their tusks have been cut without seeking permission from authorities when ivory is a valuable poaching article in the black market. Their ears are torn from excessive use of ankus (an iron stick used for taming) and feet pads are thin and cracked from standing on concrete floors and walking on hot metal roads. Also, the enclosures they are kept in are tiny dingy and unhygienic with no proper drinking water facility,
Animals do not want to peform painful, confusing and demeaning tricks, but animals in circuses have no choice. Trainers use abusive tools, including whips and electric prods, to force them to perform. Not only are elephants, horses, hippopotamuses, birds, dogs, camels and other animals often beaten by trainers, they suffer from loneliness, boredom and frustration from being locked in cramped cages or chained for months on end as they travel from city to city. Instead of being loaded and unloaded like furniture into trucks and warehouses, these animals should be in their natural habitats – exploring, seeking mates and raising families.
Elephants need at least 200 kilograms of food and 150 litres of water daily, but working elephants often receive too little food and water. Elephants are chained by their legs and terribly neglected when they are not working. They suffer from skin ailments, eye infections, cataracts and diseases of the feet. Hands-on training requires absolute domination of elephants by their keepers, and this can only be achieved through inflicting pain by beating the elephants with an ankus or an iron or wooden stick. Elephants have a natural inclination to vie for higher status within their groups as they mature; training thwarts their natural instincts and causes confusion and fear. This can lead to unpredictable bouts of aggression and create an extremely dangerous situation for elephant keepers and the public – and has resulted in many deaths and injuries.
In their natural environments, elephants might walk up to 50 kilometres daily foraging for food, yet in captivity they are almost constantly kept tied up. They develop foot problems, which are very rarely treated. Restricted exercise and hard surfaces – as well as standing amidst faeces and urine – can cause elephants’ toenails to become cracked and soft and can lead to infections. In nature, elephants are highly social creatures who live in close-knit, matriarchal herd societies. Baby elephants are looked after not only by their mothers but also by other female elephants. Mothers often do not wean their babies until they are almost 10 years old. In captivity, baby elephants are separated from their mothers when they are as young as three years old. Elephants are intelligent and sensitive animals who are known to mourn the loss of relatives, just as humans do. Captive settings cannot provide elephants with an interesting, stimulating and rewarding environment. In Indian culture, elephants are a symbol of mental strength, earthiness and responsibility. Hindus have worshiped elephants for centuries, and the large animals enjoy tremendous popularity and a charismatic status in other parts of South Asia. In Hinduism, the elephant is a sacred animal and is considered the representation or the living incarnation of Ganesh, the elephant-headed deity riding a mouse and one of the most important gods.
These beautiful and loving animals are being cruelly taken away from their families and their freedom in the forests and being forced to beg for food as they walk the streets with their cruel owners. They are beaten and tortured by cruel abusers who use them for purposes of making money on the streets. The little elephants will live like this for the rest of their lives or until they finally collapse from the abuse and die. They don’t deserve to be treated this way. They need to be freed from their abusive, torturous lives and returned to their families and the forest where they belong. Elephants are quickly becoming extinct. If we don’t save them now, they won’t be here much longer.
The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act,1960 was amended in the year 1982. According to the newly amended Indian animal welfare act, 2011 cruelty to animals is an offence and is punishable with a fine which shall not be less than ten thousand Rupees, which may extend to twenty five thousand Rupees or with imprisonment up to two years or both in the case of a first offence. In the case of second or subsequent offence, with a fine which shall not be less than fifty thousand Rupees, but may extend to one lakh Rupees and with imprisonment with a term which shall not be less than one year but may extend to three years. This amendment is currently awaiting ratification from the Government of India. The 1962 Act in the meanwhile is the one that is practiced as of now. The maximum penalty under the 1962 Act is Rs. 50. Many organizations, are actively involved in assisting the general population in reporting cruelty cases to the police and helping bring the perpetrator to justice. Due to this, much of change has been observed through the subcontinent. So we all should take responsibility that whenever or wherever we see any elephant being forced to begging or treated cruely that incident should be reported immediately to authorities and culprits should be punished.
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