The Coimbatore Forest Division Sunday arrested a mahout and his assistant on costs of attacking an elephant on the authorities’s annual rejuvenation camp at Thekkampatti close to Mettupalayam.
In a video that surfaced on social media, Vinilkumar (46) and his assistant Sivaprasad (32) had been seen brutally thrashing Jayamalyatha, an 18-year-old feminine elephant of Andal Temple in Sri Villiputhur, with sticks.
Horrific Visuals. Two mahouts assault an elephant on the Thekkampatti rejuvenation camp in Mettupalayam. The elephant is recognized as Jayamalyatha from Andal Temple, Srivilliputhur. Officers from HR and CE instructed the division will conduct an enquiry quickly. @IndianExpress pic.twitter.com/ecNZOdlftr
— Janardhan Koushik (@koushiktweets) February 21, 2021
Inside a number of hours of the clip going viral, a number of wildlife conservationists and activists demanded strict motion in opposition to the caretakers. The Hindu Non secular and Charitable Endowments Division, which is holding the camp for the elephants, stated they may conduct an inquiry and provoke vital motion. Kumar, a third-generation mahout who was caring for the elephant since 2011, was later suspended.
The district forest division additionally picked the duo from the camp and booked them underneath sections of the Wildlife Prevention Act. They’ve additionally been charged with violating provisions of Tamil Nadu Captive Elephants (Administration and Guidelines), 2011.
As per the stories, the mahout was irked after the elephant refused to obey his command. “He was taking the elephant to the bathe space. It (the elephant) all of the sudden ran uncontrolled after seeing one other elephant; the caretakers discovered very needed to carry the elephant underneath management,” one other mahout on the camp stated.
The caretakers had tied the elephant with the chains close to to a tree and thrashed it on Saturday night. Volunteers of Vanam Belief of India, an animal welfare organisation, shot the incident after they had been passing the camp.
The 48-day annual retreat for captive elephants started on February 9. The officers stated 1.67 crore rupees had been allotted for the camp to arrange shelters, bathing platforms, strolling tracks, meals courts, cellular bogs, and so forth.
