(IN): PETA pushes for ban on jumbo rides

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Link:

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080055501 & ch=7/3/2008%\

2012:09:00%20PM

 

*PETA pushes for ban on jumbo rides*

 

Press Trust of India

Thursday, July 3, 2008 (Thrissur)

They bring cheer to children, an exotic touch to tourist enterprises and

colour to parades and festivities. But lack of nutrition, ill treatment at

hands of owners and overwork are threatening the largest land animal in the

world.

 

Once revered, now threatened by tuberculosis, the Asian elephant in south

India has found an ally in PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals),

which has issued a missive to the Union Health Ministry seeking an immediate

ban on jumbo joyrides.

 

The letter addressed to Minister Ambumani Ramadoss also requests a public

advisory promoting prophylactic measures around captive animals many of

which are carriers of 'Mycobacterium tuberculosis,' the contagious bacteria

that causes the dreaded lung disease.

 

PETA-India chief functionary Anuradha Sawhney, who wrote the letter on

behalf of her organisation, cites post mortem examinations of the proboscids

to explain how tuberculosis has spread among the captive tusker population

in southern India.

 

A report recently submitted to Project Elephant under the Union Ministry of

Environment and Forest says 59 of 387 captive elephants examined for the

infection were found to be suffering from the disease. Owners are unaware

and hence treatment has not been provided, Sawhney says.

 

''Apart from tuberculosis, human beings are at risk of contracting anthrax,

'Mycobacterium bovis' infections and cow pox from contact with elephants,''

cautions Sawhney.

 

Tuberculosis has been documented as an elephant ailment over 2000 years ago

and 'mahouts' (elephant handlers) looking after their charges are at high

risk of infection of the disease.

 

VK Venkitachalam, Secretary of Elephant Lovers Association, attributes the

presence of tuberculosis among captive elephants in Kerala to lack of

sufficient feeds.

 

He said that of 18 elephants which died within the past few months, 16

elephants had symptoms of tuberculosis.

 

He alleges that elephant owners did not give proper feeds to the captive

elephants as it is a costly affair.

 

''As per Captive Elephant (Management and Maintenance) Rule 2003, an

elephant aged 20 years and above needs to consume a minimum of 250 kg of

palm and other green leaves daily, besides 100 kg of minerals and 50 kg of

jaggery.

 

''At current rates of Rs eight per kg of palm leaves, maintaining an

elephant involves a minimum daily cost of Rs 2,000,'' says Venkitachalam.

 

Medical examinations have found the highest incidence of tuberculosis among

temple elephants, Sawhney says. But elephants owned by the forest department

were being sent out to jungles and their contact with elephants there could

spread the air-borne disease in the wild, she says.

 

 

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