Elephant fight in Amber

[Guest guest]

Yet another incidence of elephant rage was seen in Amber (Jaipur)

on Tuesday. A struggle took place between two elephants (elephant

number 88 and 91) who started fighting with each other at Jaleb

Chouk, Amber. Both the elephants had just completed their second

rotation of the day by carrying tourists to Jaleb Chouk. At around

11 am just after dis-mounting of tourists from their backs both the

elephants picked-up a fight. It was a jumbo fight and in a few

minutes both the elephants got entangled with each other. Whole fort

area echoed with elephant trumpets. Thankfully, there were no

tourists on their backs at that time but still there was panic

everywhere, especially among the tourists and other by-standers. The

elephants were hitting each other hard with their respective trunks

and the whole area echoed with their trumpets. With-in a few minutes

time elephant number 91 gave a real hard blow to elephant number 88

and she fell down on the ground. After that the mahauts

used 'Ankush'on elephant number 91 in order to control her and

finally she was moved out of the 'Jaleb Chouk' area.

Elephant number 88 got badly injured in this fight and could not

even stand by herself, many other mahauts and elephant owners helped

her in getting up.

It was their second rotation of the day and both the elephants were

in a foul mood since morning. And elephant number 88 was not even

well that day. She had big ulcers in her feet and even looked tired,

still she was forced to work. Both the elephants are banned by the

Tourism department for the time being.

It is disturbing to see that wild animals like elephants are forced

to work in a hot climate which is not at all suitable for them.

There is no one to check if the elephant is fit enough physically

and mentally. And it is not the first case, in March 07 also two

elephants had picked-up a fight and the tourists who were riding on

the back of one elephant were injured. A private tour operator was

also killed by an elephant in Amber two years back. In one more

incidence an elephant was given a blow by another and a few tourists

were injured.

In short all these incidences point towards the fact that elephants

are wild animals and no matter how much we try to control them they

show their wild instincts from time to time which is fatal for the

animal as well as for humans.