Context : Animal Welfare and Public Safety
- The use of elephants in religious ceremonies, particularly in Kerala, raises concerns about animal welfare and public safety.
- A male elephant ran amok during an annual feast in Malappuram, injuring 24 people. This follows the death of 24 elephants in Kerala in 2024, highlighting ongoing issues related to captive elephant care.
Relevance : GS 2(Governance), GS 3(Environment)
- Captive elephants often suffer extreme stress, which can manifest in erratic behavior, and there are growing concerns about their mistreatment during traditional events like temple festivals.
Legal and Regulatory Context:
- Kerala’s High Court previously imposed restrictions on the use of elephants in festivals, deeming it as “commercial exploitation.” The Supreme Court temporarily stayed these restrictions in January 2025, allowing the use of elephants in festivals like the Thrissur Pooram.
- Despite these court orders, violations of the 2012 Kerala Captive Elephants (Management and Maintenance) Rules continue, with captive elephants subjected to extreme conditions and stress.
Conditions Leading to Stress:
- Captive elephants are often chained, subjected to longhoursofstanding, and forced to participate in demanding ceremonies, all of which contribute to high stress levels.
- A study on the physiological effects of captivity found that stress hormones were more concentrated in elephants that were heavily restricted in movement or worked longer hours, further supporting the argument for improved welfare standards.
Challenges in Breeding and Sourcing Elephants:
- Elephants in captivity are often sourced from the wild, with males in musth (heat) turning aggressive and requiring isolation, while captive females in estrus are used in attempts to breed them.
- There are challenges in sourcing elephants from the wild, and breeding them in captivity is not straightforward. As a result, the demand for elephants in temples continues to feed the cycle of sourcing elephants from wild populations.
Current Government Response:
- The Indian government has expressed concern over the misuse of microchips for identifying domestic elephants, leading to a decision that DNA testing should be the primary method for identifying captive elephants’ origins.
- A project mapping the genotypes of all captive elephants in India has begun, with 270 animals profiled in the first six months, aiming to identify and regulate captive elephant populations more effectively.
Cultural and Legal Tensions:
- There is a persistent tension between preserving cultural practices involving elephants and ensuring the welfare and safety of the animals.
- Some argue that the capture and use of elephants for religious ceremonies are deeply ingrained in tradition, while animal rights activists stress the need for a more humane approach.
Future Considerations:
- The Kerala government and the Supreme Court are being called to take stronger actions to balance religious traditions with animal welfare and safety.
- There is a need for stricter enforcement of existing laws and regulations to protect elephants, along with a reevaluation of the role of elephants in traditional ceremonies.
