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SC notice to Centre, States on abuse of captive elephants
NEW DELHI, April 25, 2015
The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from the Centre and various State governments on measures taken to curb cruelty and abuse meted out to captive elephants by private owners, mahouts, temples, trusts for the sake of profit.
A Bench of Justices Dipak Misra and P.C. Pant issued notice to the Centre and States, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, to respond on the petition in eight weeks.
“This requires serious consideration,” Justice Misra said.
The petition, filed by Bangalore-based Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre and other animal welfare organisations, has questioned the manner in which elephants are ill-treated during religious functions, processions and other events.
The petitionsaid pachyderms are subject to untold cruelty despite laws over half a century old like Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 1960, which makes it an offence to beat, torture, over-load, chaining or tethering with a heavy or short chain.
It said little regard was paid to the Ministry of Environment and Forests' guidelines of 2008, which bans captive elephants from being made to walk for more than 30 km a day and not more than three hours at a stretch. The petition pointed out that in States like Tamil Nadu, temple festivals happen in the hottest months of the year and it was common for elephant keepers to make their elephants walk on the hot, tarred city roads during peak summer days. This was in sheer violation of the Tamil Nadu Captive Elephants (Management and Maintenance) Rules, 2011.
The petition drew the court's attention to how even 'treats' given to temple elephants by devotees add to their misery.
“Food provided by devotees includes fruits, coconut, ghee, rice and other unnatural food such as sweet, biscuits, and chocolates. This leads to obesity, indigestion, and occurrence of colic and e.coli salmonella infections (unwashed hands of devotees could be a major cause) in the elephants,” it said.
Laying emphasis on States like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, where decked-up elephants perceive to add to the grandeur of temple festivals, the petition brought to the court's attention that 88 persons including 71 mahouts were killed in accidents relating to captive elephants in three years between 2007-10. The same period saw 215 elephants killed as a result of cruel treatment
SC notice to Centre, States on abuse of captive elephants - The Hindu
SC notice to Centre and states on welfare of captive elephants - The Economic Times
NEW DELHI, April 25, 2015
The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from the Centre and various State governments on measures taken to curb cruelty and abuse meted out to captive elephants by private owners, mahouts, temples, trusts for the sake of profit.

A Bench of Justices Dipak Misra and P.C. Pant issued notice to the Centre and States, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, to respond on the petition in eight weeks.
“This requires serious consideration,” Justice Misra said.
The petition, filed by Bangalore-based Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre and other animal welfare organisations, has questioned the manner in which elephants are ill-treated during religious functions, processions and other events.
The petitionsaid pachyderms are subject to untold cruelty despite laws over half a century old like Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 1960, which makes it an offence to beat, torture, over-load, chaining or tethering with a heavy or short chain.
It said little regard was paid to the Ministry of Environment and Forests' guidelines of 2008, which bans captive elephants from being made to walk for more than 30 km a day and not more than three hours at a stretch. The petition pointed out that in States like Tamil Nadu, temple festivals happen in the hottest months of the year and it was common for elephant keepers to make their elephants walk on the hot, tarred city roads during peak summer days. This was in sheer violation of the Tamil Nadu Captive Elephants (Management and Maintenance) Rules, 2011.
The petition drew the court's attention to how even 'treats' given to temple elephants by devotees add to their misery.
“Food provided by devotees includes fruits, coconut, ghee, rice and other unnatural food such as sweet, biscuits, and chocolates. This leads to obesity, indigestion, and occurrence of colic and e.coli salmonella infections (unwashed hands of devotees could be a major cause) in the elephants,” it said.
Laying emphasis on States like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, where decked-up elephants perceive to add to the grandeur of temple festivals, the petition brought to the court's attention that 88 persons including 71 mahouts were killed in accidents relating to captive elephants in three years between 2007-10. The same period saw 215 elephants killed as a result of cruel treatment
SC notice to Centre, States on abuse of captive elephants - The Hindu
SC notice to Centre and states on welfare of captive elephants - The Economic Times