Hollywood actor Pamela Anderson has offered to pay money for making 30 faux elephants instead of live ones to be paraded for Thrissur Pooram.
The offer came in the wake of the Animal Welfare Board of India’s (AWBI) advisory telling State officials not to use live elephants in Thrissur Pooram as they are not registered with the AWBI, which is required by law before any animal can be made to perform.
In a letter to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Ms. Anderson who is also a patron of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, has offered to contribute the cost of providing 30 life-sized, realistic and portable elephants made of bamboo and papier-mâché to replace live elephants.
“I’m sure you know that both Indian and international public opinion is turning solidly against the use of elephants in captivity. I would like to offer my support for what is a wonderful opportunity to make a stunning, humane spectacle that everyone would talk about and that would garner international praise,” she writes.
She notes that the use of captive elephants would make visitors to Kerala upset. “Seeing elephants in chains and forced to walk on hot pavement under the threat of an ‘ankush’ will make people sad and can ruin their holiday.”
The Confederation of Tamil Nadu Malayalee Associations had used faux elephants during Onam festivals earlier when it was denied permission to use real elephants, she points out. According to PETA, capturing an elephant is prohibited under The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, yet many elephants are being captured illegally from the wild.
The AWBI’s advisory against the use of live elephants at the Thrissur Pooram followed a tip from PETA India, whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment.”
