TB infected elephants not to be used for tourist rides in Amer Fort: Rajasthan govt

New Delhi: The Rajasthan government on Thursday directed the Department of Archaeology and Museums to segregate, quarantine and ensure that the ten elephants found to be suffering from tuberculosis are not used as rides for Amer Fort.

The move by comes after a plea from animal rights groups including the Humane Rights Society International/India (HSI India) and People for Animals for the contagious elephants to be quarantined.

"We welcome the news of infected elephants being quarantined and not being used at rides. However, segregation is not enough," said N G Jayasimha, managing director HSI India, in a statement to PTI. He added that there need to be better living conditions for elephants so that the spread of diseases can be contained.

On June 1, a court had directed the Jaipur police department to investigate instances of cruelty against elephants used to provide joy rides at the Amer Fort and submit a report before it.

According to an examination conducted by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) during December 2017 to March 2018 at Hathi Gaon, ten elephants were found to be suffering from tuberculosis.

Animal rights activists had asked the Union Health Ministry on June 18 to quarantine elephants infected with tuberculosis in Jaipur's Amer Fort and screen all the untested animals which are "forced" to give rides to tourists, as the disease can spread from animals to humans.


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