An intervention by the Department of Forest and Wildlife prevented a WhatsApp group from organising a tug-of-war between a captive elephant and the public as part of Onam-Barkrid celebrations at Cheruvady in Kodiyathur panchayat on Tuesday.
The organisers, WhatsApp group ‘Nalla Cheruvadikkar’ and the Saudi Arabia-based Al Rudaiman Group, dropped the event after forest department officials told them that the event was illegal.
They had given wide publicity for the event between the elephant Kolakkadan Unnikuttan and the crowd at the Cheruvady mini stadium at 10 a.m. However, this did not go down well with the animal rights activists, including the Thrissur-based Heritage Animal Task Force (HATF) which shot off a complaint to the department seeking their intervention.
Copies of the letter by V.K. Venkitachalam, secretary, HATF, were also sent to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, State Police Chief Lokanth Behera, Chief Wildlife Warden and Secretary Animal Welfare Board of India. He had pointed out that the elephant had been undergoing harsh training for the contest which was against the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 1960.
He also sought the arrest of those who are behind such cruelty to elephant.