HATF alleges torture of captive elephants

The Heritage Animal Task Force (HATF) has alleged criminal negligence on the part of the Departments of Forest and Police in enforcing rules to check unlawful use of captive elephants at Thuravur in Alappuzha district and at Mallappally in Pathanamthitta district on October 29 and 30.

In a memorandum to the Animal Welfare Board of India Secretary on Monday, HATF secretary V.K. Venkitachalam has alleged that the temple administration at Thuravur had illegally paraded 11 captive elephants at the Deepavali festival on October 29.

At Mallappally, a captive elephant, Vishnu, ran amok while it was used for shifting logs in a private property, he said. He said these 12 elephants were being kept by persons who did not have ownership certificate for these pachyderms.

He alleged that the elephant, Vishnu, was not given water, food or rest before engaging it for transporting logs. Unable to bear with the mahouts’ torture, the elephant turned violent, attacked and seriously injured its second mahout. The elephant, with bruises and wounds all over its body, was later tethered after a hectic task.

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