On the sixth of March, three elephants were kept ready for the parade of Guruvayoorappan. Suddenly, the elephant at the centre got enraged, apparently for no reason, and, charged its neighbour, which fell down. Seeing this, the third elephant became panicky and ran away to escape. The rogue elephant then came again to the one lyig on the ground and pierced the poor animal, which was consoled and brought to its home by the mahauts.
In order to understand it, we must see the conditions in which a number of elephants, belonging to Guruvayoor temple, are kept in a comparatively small enclosure. The meek among them suffer in silence and remain docile, like inmates in a jail. Elephants in the forest walk for thirty miles daily in search of food and water. Each herd has several cows and babies, but only few males. This allows plenty of chance for mating. In captivity, on the other hand, cows are not there. Males hate each other. So the action of this rogue elephant mentioned earlier, is similar to Americans shooting innocent people.
After capturing them, elephants are totured and beaten to submission. This creates permanent enmity between these animals and their keepers. I have seen sadhus traveling with an elephant, without any chain. They are lovable and esiy tamed. But the mahauts here in Keralam are very cruel. Elephants kill their mahauts only.
Vengeance is something only human beings are capable of. But elephants are capable of remembering some injustice done to them and wreaking revenge, when an opportunity comes. An elephant pulled down the mahaut sitting on its neck, when the other one went to buy something, and threw him into the air and trumpled him, when he landed, in the presence of onlookers.
All the roads here are covered with tar. It becomes very hot and unbearable to elephants which have no protection for the feet. During festival season, they do not get washed as often as in the forests.
The only solution is to ban keeping elephants except in wild sanctuaries.
After capturing them, elephants are totured and beaten to submission. This creates permanent enmity between these animals and their keepers. I have seen sadhus traveling with an elephant, without any chain. They are lovable and esiy tamed. But the mahauts here in Keralam are very cruel. Elephants kill their mahauts only.
Vengeance is something only human beings are capable of. But elephants are capable of remembering some injustice done to them and wreaking revenge, when an opportunity comes. An elephant pulled down the mahaut sitting on its neck, when the other one went to buy something, and threw him into the air and trumpled him, when he landed, in the presence of onlookers.
All the roads here are covered with tar. It becomes very hot and unbearable to elephants which have no protection for the feet. During festival season, they do not get washed as often as in the forests.
The only solution is to ban keeping elephants except in wild sanctuaries.
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