(IN): The controversial elephant ride at Amer Fort, Jaipur

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By admin

Posted on 16 Apr 2010 at 4:02am

Every now and then, I keep hearing cries from activists to stop the elephant

rides in Amer Fort.

These are ten minute rides, from the bottom of the hill to the fort, with a

maximum of two riders to an elephant. The rides start around 8:00 a.m. and

end by about 11:00 a.m.

 

 

Those who call for banning the rides say that it is cruel to the elephants,

that they toil in the sun, and that the stone terrain is hard on their feet.

 

It is a complex issue, so to all those asking for the rides to be stopped, I

say, please don’t oversimplify it.

 

There are 4-5 traditional communities in India that work with animals – the

madaris with their monkeys, the kalandars with bears, the elephant handlers,

the saperas with their snakes, and there are also communities in Rajasthan

who specialise in tiger hunting, and so on and so forth. Apart from these,

there are many, many others in rural and small-town India who depend on

animals for a living. When you advocate a course of action that impacts both

people and animals, it is worthwhile to pause and think about not just the

moral issues but also the practical ones.

 

For me, the first and larger dilemma comes when I ask myself – is

domestication of animals ethically right? Do humans have the right to

capture, tame and use wild animals? Do humans really have the right to tame

and use other animals like camels, horses, donkeys, and bullocks? Do humans

have the right to even confine dogs, whose natural habitat is the wild, and

who would much prefer to run free in their own packs? Taking that a step

further, is it correct to restrict the freedom of sheep, pigs, goats etc for

slaughter? Is it correct to subject mice, monkeys and rabbits to pain in

laboratories?

 

There are many inspiring schools of Indian thought which say that cruelty to

living creatures is not acceptable. We all learn even as schoolchildren

about the Boddhisatva who takes monkey form, or elephant form, or bird and

other forms, to teach humans compassion for all living creatures. Many

religions forbid the killing of animals, and religions like Jainism forbid

the use of animal products like leather.

 

My personal view is that the restriction of freedom of any animals by humans

is an unfortunate historical necessity and an unavoidable fact, but is

morally incorrect. That applies not just to elephants, but to all animals

who are victims of what I call “human conquest”. Taking the argument to its

logical extension, to me the raising of sheep for slaughter is no different

from the raising of elephants for commercial use. I do not like either of

these.

 

However, the moral dimension of the issue is different from the practical

dimension.

 

Practically speaking, the planet probably can’t support all of us if no one

ate meat. Practically speaking, the camel is the best and perhaps only

affordable solution for humans in the desert areas of Rajasthan. Elephants

were probably the most effective way to get timber from forests. Dogs were

probably the most effective warning mechanism and hunting help for humans.

And so on and so forth.

 

These practicalities change with time and technology. Therefore from a

purely practical point of view, leaving the morals/ethics aside, the use of

animals has to be constantly re-evaluated to see if it makes sense, and if

it is unavoidable as a means to secure human welfare.

 

When you evaluate the situation in such terms, it becomes obvious that some

uses of animals have now outlived their necessity and that it is time to

stop it. Some other uses have still enormous practical value, and stopping

it would lead to loss of human welfare (for example, oxen for ploughs, or

camels for the desert, even with the advent of tractors and jeeps, there is

really no cost-effective subsitute).

 

Tribal Rabari woman with her camels. These are their only wealth.

 

It is not always easy to make these decisions, and there are definitely

shades of grey in these.

 

But it is quite clear to me that we have only two ways forward:

 

1. Where the use of animals is unavoidable, regulate and police actively to

ensure minimum pain and maximum compassion

 

2. Where the use of animals is avoidable, phase out with a sensitive and

practical understanding of the issues.

 

The elephants at Amer are merely joyrides, and nowhere in the unavoidable

category. So it is quite clear to me that they must be stopped. However, I

am not willing to see the elephants at Amber starve to death simply because

there is no employment for them forcing their already poor owners to abandon

them.

 

The solution is obvious and two-pronged, but I will state it anyway. We need

the following:

a) The creation of a government or private sponsored facility to “retire”

the elephants and look after them until they die

b) A program to re-skill and provide gainful employment the mahouts so that

their families don’t starve

 

I have just visited the Bear Rescue Centre in Agra where over 275 ‘dancing

bears’ have been brought from various places in India. The Bear rescue

centre is a permanent home for these bears because they cannot be released

into the wild. The kalandar community from whom they have been purchased

have been compensated for the bears (Rs 50,000 for a bear) and they have

been taught other skills. Some of them work at the centre. Craft products

and jewellery made by kalandar women is sold at the centre.

 

The Bear Rescue Centre at Agra provides a successful, practical model to

follow

 

Simply saying “Stop the rides at Amber” is not the solution. Without the

necessary support system in place to provide alternative rescue for the

elephants, stopping the rides would mean taking away the elephants’ only

earning.

 

So if you’re visiting Jaipur, and wondering whether to do the ride, I say,

until there is a viable alternative for the elephants, do it. If you see

mistreatment, report it (there is an Elephant Welfare Office at the fort).

If you want to contribute towards their welfare, then donate to wild life

rescue organisations who are working in the field. I would recommend these

guys: Wildlife SOS <http://www.wildlifesos.org/rescue>(the same guys running

the Bear Rescue Centre in Agra). I visited them and was very impressed not

just by their understanding of the issues involved, but their very practical

approach, collaborating with difficult government departments etc. They have

a captive Elephant Welfare Project and are trying to start a sanctuary in

Haryana for elephants similar to their Bear facility in Agra. I wish them

luck.

 

- Deepa

 

All Credit Goes to Delhi Magic

 

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