The Hindu: Use of ankush during the game of elephant polo banned

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Source: The Hindu

 

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Pink City shows the way

 

Sunny Sebastian

 

Use of " ankush " during the game of elephant polo

banned

 

JAIPUR:

 

This season elephants will enjoy playing polo here

in the Pink City. For the first time in the history

of the centuries old game here no " ankush " (the

hooked metal goad) would be applied on elephants

during the game. And that is a beginning which the

whole country can perhaps emulate when it comes to

corporal punishment to the captive population of

elephants.

 

If the Rajasthan capital, which has a migrant

population of 100-odd domesticated female elephants,

is showing the way for the rest of the country and

Asia on how to treat its pachyderms more humanely,

the credit should go to an NGO, Help In Suffering

(HIS). With its relentless efforts on the

elephant-front for the past three years HIS could

manage to bring about an official ban on the use of

" ankush " on the animals deployed for rides in Amber

Palace on the outskirts of the City.

 

The alternative elephant polo this season has the

support of the UK-based organisation, Elephant

Family. Prestigious MNC Cartier has agreed to lend

its name to the promotion of an alternative ethic

for captive working elephants. Fifteen to 20 games

are held here every year using elephants, besides

the annual elephant polo, forming part of the

elephant festival organized by the Rajasthan Tourism

Department at the time of Holi.

 

" We cannot end elephant polo in Jaipur just like

that as it is an ancient tradition. However we can

make the event an enjoyable experience for both

humans and the elephants with the introduction of

more humane alternatives, " says Christine Townend,

Chair of Trustees of HIS. " Working with the

Rajasthan Government we have already shown that we

can effectively improve the conditions for the

captive elephants at Amber. "

 

" Elephant populations in India and also in the whole

of Asia are under severe stress. The captive ones

are rendered jobless due to changes in the mode of

transport and lifestyle of people. The ones in the

wild are also no better of as the forests are

shrinking, " says Mark Shand, author and trustee of

Elephant Family.

 

" Elephants love to play around. They are very

intelligent animals. They have a strong bond, at

times stretching to several decades, with their

mahouts. There is no need for use of torture

instruments such as ankush for controlling the

elephants. We can do it with the help of verbal

commands, " asserts Mr. Shand, a one-time associate

of the Queen Mother of Jaipur, Gayatri Devi.

 

Copyright: 1995 - 2006 The Hindu

 

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