Gentle giants suffer for tourists in Goa

Montora, a docile Indian elephant, enters the small, muddy brown lake. She rolls about, letting the water slide on her back. Her mahout shouts out to her in Bengali. His tone is sharp, commanding. She stops moving. Two young women enter the water and mount her back. The mahout stands in front of the elephant and gives sharp commands. Montora scoops water in her trunk and on command, lets it out on the women. They squeal in delight. Onlookers, mostly tourists from Russia and the United Kingdom, laugh and take pictures. Montora repeats the “power shower” several times on command.

Montora’s toenails are black, cracked and split with fissures. One nail is missing. There is heavy pink pigmentation on her trunk and ears and a small wound on her left ear. Her eyes are misty, with a continuous discharge. She wears a chain around her neck with a bell on it. She is 46 years old, docile and well mannered. Local staff say she works approximately 12 hours a day and on a “good day”, at least a 100 people visit.


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