World Animal Protection condemns continued use of captive elephants for business and entertainment purposes
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World Animal Protection is shocked at the video of a lactating elephant forced to haul logs in Assam. The cruel practice of using elephants unfortunately continues despite modern technology.
The minute-long clip, posted by Mondeep M Gogoi, shows a female elephant pulling a massive log across a road in Tinsukia district in Assam as her newborn calf waits on the other side of the road.
World Animal Protection condemns the use of this sentient and social animal to serve human ends in which they have no say.
Gajender K Sharma, India Country Director, World Animal Protection, said,
“This is a desperately sad situation of an elephant subjected to cruel and intensive work – something they should not be doing at all. Elephants belong in the wild and should not be used for our entertainment or for labour.”
There have been alarming reports on elephants being used to break illicit construction in Assam as well. "Elephants are wild animals but most of them in India are forced to endure cruel and intensive training for entertainment or work. They are chained up and unable to interact with other elephants, living their whole lives in captive conditions that cannot meet their needs. The elephant was declared as India's National Heritage Animal in 2010 which is why we appeal to the government that they are no longer abused in captivity and should be well protected." Gajender added further.
World Animal Protection in writing to the Chief Warden of Assam, Project Elephant Director, Chairman of the IUCN Asian Elephants Specialist Group and the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate change regarding this issue.