The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has sent a recommendation to the Kerala Forest Department to euthanise three elephants.
According to the AWBI, Lakhsmi and Ramabhadran, two elephants of the Thiruvambadi Devaswom, and Thiruvegappuram Devanarayanan (Kattakada Abhimanyu), owned by a private individual, are suffering from serious ailments and should be subjected to mercy killing to end their sufferings.
However, the Kerala Elephant Owners Federation has come out against the suggestion. Ignorance about elephants might have prompted the board to issue such an order, says P. Sasikumar, federation general secretary.
Forest Department veterinarians had performed tests on the elephants and reported that mercy killing was not needed. Ramabhadran has recovered from injuries. Lakshmi is healthy now and taking part in ‘seeveli’ at the temple. Devanarayanan is also healthy and in ‘masth’ now, the federation claimed.
Elephant specialist P.B. Giridas said the three elephants had no health issues. They had regained health after systematic treatment.
