Animal welfare activists have urged the Forest Department to take steps to prevent a captive elephant, suffering from near-total blindness, from being paraded during a temple festival in the city.
The alleged attempt being made by the authorities of the Mukkolakkal Sree Mahaganapathy temple at Mannanthala to parade an elephant,
Thechikkottukavu Ramachandran, believed to be aged 53 years, has come under criticism. The pachyderm has been certified to have lost sight in the right eye and also suffers partial blindness on the other. The elephant is known to have killed 11 people, including seven mahouts, four women, and a child, in the past 25 years.
According to V.K. Venkitachalam, secretary of the Heritage Animal Task Force, the temple has announced through posters that the elephant will be paraded on May 1.
“According to an order issued by the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Vigilance), a ban has been imposed on parading the elephant in the State,” he pointed out.
Ran amok
He also alleged that the elephant had run amok when it was paraded at the Kappiyur Bhagavathy temple, near Guruvayoor, on February 19. Mr. Venkitachalam accused some officials of siding with the temple authorities to facilitate the programme.
The Forest Department officials, however, said no attempt to parade the elephant would be entertained. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests had issued a notice that Thechikkottukavu Ramachandran and another captive elephant, Mullackal Balakrishnan, both of which had turned restive on multiple instances, could not be paraded at festivals.
“Parading of elephants at festivals will be permitted only in accordance with the prescribed norms. In view of the safety of devotees and the welfare of the elephants, no exceptions can be made to the rules,” an official said.
