As many as 62 people were injured when an elephant ran amok during the ‘Upacharam Chollal,' the farewell ceremony of the Thrissur Pooram, at Thekkinkadu Maidan on Wednesday.
The condition of an injured woman is stated to be critical.
The elephant, Unnippillil Kalidasan, paraded for the Paramekkavu Devaswom, went berserk around 12.15 p.m., triggering panic at the Pooram venue for more than an hour.
Thousands of people, including women and children, ran helter-skelter. Children and elderly people were injured in the melee.
Udhaya, 40, suffered serious injuries in the stomach when the elephant attacked her. She underwent an emergency surgery at a private hospital here. The other injured were undergoing treatment at various hospitals in the city.
Two youths atop the tusker fell down but had a narrow escape, according to eyewitnesses.
The elephant first ran from the South Gopura Nada of the Sree Vadakkunnathan temple to the West Gopura Nada through the Tekkinkadu Maidan and then moved to the Swaraj Round.
Mahouts' efforts to pacify the animal went in vain. It was brought under control with a capture belt around 1.15 p.m.
Collector P.M. Francis said the Revenue Divisional Officer would investigate the incident and submit a report. The Devaswom would bear the medical expenses of the injured.
The ceremonies were temporarily stopped. The Thrissur-based Heritage Animal Task Force, in a memorandum to the Chief Secretary and the Chief Wildlife Warden, sought action against those who violated guidelines for parading elephants for the festival.
The memorandum said the elephant was paraded for the Pooram without the permission of the Forest Department and the Elephant Squad. The elephant was in ‘musth' till last Thursday, the task force alleged.
Keywords: Thrissur Pooram
I live in Munnar in the High Ranges for the past fifty years. We in Munnar know a lot about Elephant behavior as Munnar is crisscrossed with Elephant Corridors where Man and animal live side by side treading with care under extreme stress both ways. In recent years Elephant Kills of innocent young people while on duty have peaked very high. Tourism has developed in Munnar in a big way causing great risks for commuters working in resorts even during day time; there are 'Serial Killer' elephants that have killed many even without provocation.
However Killings by captive elephants cannot be condoned. The grief of men women and poor children being killed openly in the most gruesome way can be felt only by their loved ones. The underlying factor both Elephant Lovers and other users of this pachyderm should realize is that the Elephant is a Captive Animal and can never be domesticated and frivolous use of these creatures should be curtailed and controlled.
“”Stop this cruelty on animals in the name of religious rites. Spirituality has nothing do with practices; it is all about developing a probing mindset to know the secrets of the life. Please show more kindness to animals“”
This needs to stop..
News of Globalization hasn't reached the faithful in Kerala. Elephant was a decorated vehicle long time ago; times have changed. There was a time when the KSRTC bus used to be called an "Aana Vandi." Now that the paradigm has shifted to GOD 2.0, it'll be appropriate to parade in a Porsche Cayenne or, given our Italian affinity, in a Ferrari.
If patriotism gets better of the faithful, even a Tata Nano, India's first anti-communist car, could be considered.
Though the Thrissivaperoor Pooram is considered the greatest of all poorams having two centuries worth of historicity with the continuous cultural consciousness of the community manifesting in the form of customs and traditions shaping the heritage of those myths abounding legendary temples in and around the famous Vadakkumnathan temple in Thrissur, any sensitive person would feel pathetic not euphoric about the elephants decorated and exhibited as part of the festivities. Even though all religious communities come & work together in the makings of various ornaments & decorations for the elephants to be paraded on the eve of the festival, how can we be sure that the organizers are treating the animals properly and in accordance with laws and not inflicting cruelty to them in any manner? Supposing if some are not fit enough to participate do the authorities replace and give treatment to them or force them to submission?
None of our Sastras ask for using elephants for temple festival. It is crule to make them stand in the hot summer sun for hours. The practice should be banned. Religious people should be the ones to show more kindness to animals.
Shocking mismanagement. I have witnessed one such event several years ago. The area is filthy and stinking. No protection to the people who flock in thousands! This event is famous internationally and deserves specia care and arrangements. Hope the government gives serious attention to this problem.
Stop this cruelty on animals in the name of religious rites. Spirituality has nothing do with practices, it is all about developing a probing mindset to know the secrets of the life.
If organizers of such a big event like Thrissur Pooram can be so negligent like this, i couldn't even imagine the case for other poorams. It clearly shows the unpreparedness of the Pooram committee for the big event.
These elephants should be given chance to fulfill their "biological needs". When they unable to control it shows the anger in uncontrollable fashion. People are in festive mood when these elephants are at the peak of annoyance.
It is time they modified this archaic practice by separating animals from the people in such assembly and processions. While it may add color to such occasions, one has to give priority to the safety of people. If the organizers do not take action to prevent such an occurrence in future, the authorities will have to bring needed rules to stop such risky arrangements. One can't hide behind tradition and religious practices when safety of people are involved.
This has become a regular news the last few years...sometimes the
outcome is really gruesome and sad...i feel bad for the animals and the
people that got caught in the middle. Why cant we stop this from
happening again and again.
Why was such an event held without any contingency planning? The police and forest departments should have participated right from the planning stage for such an event to prevent any risk to human lives. In these days of tranquilizer guns, this is nothing less than criminal negligence on the part of the Devaswom board. Wishing a speedy recovery for the injured.
I grew up in Kerala, and I believe that elephants belong in forests. How many people need to die before the people of Kerala wake up to realize that they need to stop using elephants as mascots? They are one of the most abused "cultural" props in Kerala - used in any and all gatherings ranging from inaugurations to temple festivals to political rallies. This needs to stop - the supreme court needs to put an end to this abuse.
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