New Delhi: When wildlife campaigners rescued Raju, a starving elderly elephant, from its chains in July, video footage and photographs of it “crying” at its release moved millions around the world.
But the elephant could soon be in irons again after the owners who mistreated it filed a legal petition for its return as their lawful property. Elephants are protected by law in India, but several thousand are still kept by unscrupulous owners and abused by their “mahouts” — handlers.
Video footage of Raju’s release in Uttar Pradesh showed its legs being unshackled from heavy chains, with spikes that had pierced its hide. Long spear-like spikes were recovered from its enclosure — which, despite being illegal, are widely used in India to train and control working elephants. Many of the elephants are chained outside Hindu temples, or hired out for rides at children’s parties or at lavish weddings. Several hundred are kept at Jaipur’s Amber Fort, where they ferry tourists up its steep paths in desert conditions, and are hired for elephant polo matches.
Campaigners say they should not be kept in captivity or in northern India, where the arid weather amounts to cruel conditions — they need the wet grasslands and rainforests of India’s south to thrive.
Kartick Satyanarayan, the co-founder of Wildlife SOS, the group that rescued Raju, said it would contest the owners’ claim on the grounds of their cruelty. “The animal is on the path of recovery and is doing fine after being rescued from slavery,” he said. “He was on the verge of death when he was rescued. “We have a foolproof case against the self-proclaimed owner including that he has no ownership documents. Moreover, the treatment the elephant received was against the law. We will put these facts before the court and pray for Raju’s freedom.”
