(IN): Jumbos will campaign no more

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Link: http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1208563

Jumbos will campaign no more

IANS

Saturday, November 22, 2008 18:07 IST

 

NEW DELHI: Gulabkali and Bhola, two amiable jumbos, were among the most

sought after at one time, especially during elections. Not this time though,

as their mahouts feel lumbering down dusty roads for hours is too strenuous

for them.

 

" The animal is after all a living being - it cannot be made to walk the

streets for hours on end. Two hours is okay, but the campaigning takes over

five hours and we cannot let anyone treat our animals like that, " said

mahout Yusuf Ali, 34.

 

He is among those who own the 15 elephants that have been living for years

in the Yamuna riverbed below the busy ITO bridge. Once upon a time, they

were a common sight on Delhi's streets, lending their lumbering grace to

wedding processions and poll campaigns carrying ad hoardings draped on their

broad backs and giving joyrides.

 

All that's becoming rare now. Wildlife protection laws say elephants cannot

be made to work. Municipal authorities do not want them fouling up the

streets. And now the mahouts that own them have themselves decided not to

hire out the jumbos for the poll campaign.

 

While all that's to the good, the mahouts are now wondering how they will

feed their charges. " They are a big responsibility and high on maintenance -

now because of so many restrictions by the government, they are a burden, "

Yusuf Ali said.

 

Each elephant eats 250-300 kg of fodder a day and needs a huge supply of

water. The animals are still rented out for wedding processions once in a

while and earn Rs.1,000-1,500 for two hours, with two mahouts in attendance.

But that's not enough.