Elephant owners hit boycott path in Kerala

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THIS IS SOME NEWS, I MUST SAY !!

Azam

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Elephant owners hit boycott path in Kerala

 

IANS

Wednesday, March 21, 2007 09:43 IST

 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala's temple festivals may no more see

elephants, with their angry owners protesting against criminal cases

the police slap on them whenever the animals run amok.

 

" The Kerala Elephant Owners Association has decided that with no

proper set of rules to decide what needs to be done when elephants run

amok, we will not send any elephants to take part in temple

festivals, " P Sasi Kumar, joint secretary of the group, said.

 

Kerala has nearly 900 captive elephants that are booked in advance by

temple authorities for festivals. April and May being the peak season

for temple festivals, the revelry associated with the carnivals will

be lost if the government does not respond soon to the elephant

owners' grievance.

 

The owners are upset because the police implicate them in criminal

cases when the elephants turn violent, the number of such cases has

gone up in recent times.

 

" We want the government to set up a panel of experts to decide what

needs to be done. We agree that elephants who are not well should not

be allowed but how can we be implicated when an elephant runs wild?

This is not fair, hence the boycott, " said Kumar.

 

However, Kerala Forest Minister Binoy Viswam said the government had

received complaints from wildlife enthusiasts on how elephant owners

treat these animals. " Elephants certainly deserve to be treated

better, " he said.

 

" We have come out with guidelines on how the owners should manage

elephants. Just because they are animals they can't be treated

roughly. There are clear-cut guidelines on what needs to be done when

elephants are taken for festivals, " the minister said.