Elephant polo in Sri Lanka and elephant procession in India : twin tragedy becomes focus of Star News coverage

[Guest guest]

Dear colleagues,

Star Ananda(Murdoch's Bangla venture in India)

interviewed Debashishda of Compassionate Crusaders Trust/People for

Animals for half an hour today in the aftermath of an elephant killing a

hermit in Varanasi and the Sri Lankan elephant polo incident. The footage

aired was graphic and I am glad that he emphasised the fact that wild

animals were not be exploited in captivity for entertainment. It is quite

evident that a disaster was just waiting to happen in the kind of close

contact that is an integral part of any elephant spectacle. This should set

a note of caution for organisers of elephant polo matches, but as we have

noted before, this entire circus is for money making purposes bereft of any

conservation or welfare objective and the organisers will not be deterred as

long as the coffers are filled. But it is good to note that the media is

highlighting the unnatural conditions of elephant captivity in every

circumstance so it is no longer a cakewalk for elephant circus organisers,

be they in Jaipur or in Galle. As the saying goes, " You can fool some people

for some time and you can fool all people for some time, but you cannot fool

all the people all the time. " Congratulations, Debashishda, for an eloquent

interview.

Regards,