Guest guest Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/city/jaipur/Experts-slam-Amber-elephant-\ upkeep/articleshow/4934606.cms Experts slam Amber elephant upkeepAnindo Dey, TNN 26 August 2009, 03:39am IST JAIPUR: Activists believe there are serious anomalies in the way elephants are procured, maintained and used in Amber Fort to ferry tourists up to the monument. Dr Sunil Chawla, chief veterinary surgeon and an activist of Help in Suffering, an NGO that works for animals, said: " Elephants are a Schedule I animal and buying or selling of elephants cannot be carried out. They can at best be gifted. But it is a known practice that elephant owners here purchase elephants that have been rendered useless from the wooden log business in Assam. " Help in Suffering has been providing free veterinary consultancy, treatment and medicine as well as improving management practices (like ensuring proper food and water) since 2003 for these elephants. Moreover, out of the estimated 110 elephants that operate from the Amber Fort (the Elephant Owners' Development Association puts the number at 105), 15 are being used illegally. " Out of these 15 elephants, six were not being used earlier and recently nine more were declared illegal as these elephants have neither proper ownership paper nor the no-objection certificate from states from where they have come. But reports are that they are being used in connivance with local officials of the forest department, " Chawla alleged. He feels the extreme conditions in the desert state is very bad for the pachyderms. " Elephants are meant for humid conditions and places that have lots of water. But here they do not get either. As a result they develop eye problems<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/city/jaipur/Experts-slam-Amber-\ elephant-upkeep/articleshow/4934606.cms#>, suffer skin burns. Also, having to walk on tar they get severe burns on their foot as any tar surface heats up much more. " The doctor felt that elephants can walk 30 km a day, and that too on a plain surface. " But here they have to walk much more, specially as earlier norms of their being operated only during 10 am have now been done away with but they are often made to do much more than their compulsory five rides a day. And it is especially the downhill climb that hurts their foot, " he said. Even the way the elephants are operated is not very conducive. For it is more often than not that their owners and the mahouts are different and any temper shown by the owner to the mahouts is passed on to the elephant. " Even the practice of changing mahouts frequently hurts the elephant as it fails to understand the orders and is often punished with the ankush', " he added. -- http://www.stopelephantpolo.com http://www.freewebs.com/azamsiddiqui Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 Help in Suffering .....please don't forget their association with the organizers of elephant polo held in Jaipur, the contents of the news articles based on the information submitted to the High court.....let Help in Suffering join us in the PIL to be heard on 29-9-2009 against elephant polo. On Wed, Aug 26, 2009 at 9:21 AM, azam24x7 <azam24x7 wrote: > > > > http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/city/jaipur/Experts-slam-Amber-elephant-\ upkeep/articleshow/4934606.cms > > Experts slam Amber elephant upkeepAnindo Dey, TNN 26 August 2009, 03:39am > IST > > JAIPUR: Activists believe there are serious anomalies in the way elephants > are procured, maintained and used in Amber Fort to ferry tourists up to > the monument. > > Dr Sunil Chawla, chief veterinary surgeon and an activist of Help in > Suffering, an NGO that works for animals, said: " Elephants are a Schedule I > animal and buying or selling of elephants cannot be carried out. They can > at > best be gifted. But it is a known practice that elephant owners here > purchase elephants that have been rendered useless from the wooden log > business in Assam. " > > Help in Suffering has been providing free veterinary consultancy, treatment > and medicine as well as improving management practices (like ensuring > proper > food and water) since 2003 for these elephants. > > Moreover, out of the estimated 110 elephants that operate from the Amber > Fort (the Elephant Owners' Development Association puts the number at 105), > 15 are being used illegally. " Out of these 15 elephants, six were not being > used earlier and recently nine more were declared illegal as these > elephants > have neither proper ownership paper nor the no-objection certificate from > states from where they have come. But reports are that they are being used > in connivance with local officials of the forest department, " Chawla > alleged. > > He feels the extreme conditions in the desert state is very bad for the > pachyderms. " Elephants are meant for humid conditions and places that have > lots of water. But here they do not get either. As a result they develop > eye problems< > http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/city/jaipur/Experts-slam-Amber-elephant-\ upkeep/articleshow/4934606.cms# > >, > suffer skin burns. Also, having to walk on tar they get severe burns on > their foot as any tar surface heats up much more. " > > The doctor felt that elephants can walk 30 km a day, and that too on a > plain > surface. " But here they have to walk much more, specially as earlier norms > of their being operated only during 10 am have now been done away with but > they are often made to do much more than their compulsory five rides a day. > And it is especially the downhill climb that hurts their foot, " he said. > > Even the way the elephants are operated is not very conducive. For it is > more often than not that their owners and the mahouts are different and any > temper shown by the owner to the mahouts is passed on to the elephant. > " Even > the practice of changing mahouts frequently hurts the elephant as it fails > to understand the orders and is often punished with the ankush', " he added. > > -- > http://www.stopelephantpolo.com > http://www.freewebs.com/azamsiddiqui > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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