The most recent mahout, who was hired after numerous other mahouts were caught on camera abusing her, is seen to have used weapons, including pliers.
Digital Desk: According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, the Tamil Nadu government failed to return an elephant that had been tortured in a temple, so the Assam government will move the court against it.
The Srivilliputhur Nachiyar Thirukovil temple illegally held the temple elephant, known as Joymala in her native Assam, for more than ten years. Currently, she is at the neighbouring Krishnan Kovil temple.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), India, has submitted a new veterinary inspection report to forest department officials in Tamil Nadu and Assam showing the continued abuse of the captive tusker, Joymalas or Jeymalyatha, just when it appeared that life was improving for this temple elephant.
The most recent mahout, who was hired after numerous other mahouts were caught on camera abusing her, is seen to have used weapons, including pliers.
The horrific story also shows that the tusker was brutally abused; in a viral video shot in the most sacred of locations—the sanctum sanctorum of the Krishnan Kovil temple, where she is kept chained to the floor—you can hear her wailing in pain.
The Assam government decided to take legal action after Joymala, an adult female elephant, could not be returned to the state due to the Tamil Nadu government's lack of cooperation, according to MK Yadava, the principal chief conservator of forests and chief wildlife warden said on Tuesday.
After more than a year of communication, the chief wildlife warden of Tamil Nadu, according to him, issued an order in April or May of this year approving the removal of Joymala. "The Tamil Nadu forest department needs to claim ownership of the animal, which presents a technical issue. Only then are we able to bring it. Otherwise, it would turn into a robbery case," Yadava said.
"The government of Tamil Nadu had asked us to cover all costs. We promised to send Rs 5 lakh if you shared your bank account information. We will then cover all costs associated with securing the animal in full," Yadava continued. The temple trust is managed by the Tamil Nadu government, yet despite the court decision, Joymala has not been freed. Yadava declared, "We are prepared to bring the elephant back from our end.
In total, six elephants were requested to be released by the Assam government in a letter to the Tamil Nadu government. Similar to this, Yadava claimed it is currently writing to the Odisha government to request the return of four to five more elephants.
We respond to complaints as soon as we hear them, he said, adding, "Once the elephant in issue is brought back, we will give her a pleasant retired life, perhaps in one of our parks where it can roam free without having to fulfil any departmental duties." In 2008, a person from Assam's Tinsukia region reportedly rented Joymala to the temple for a period of six months.
Joymala's mistreatment was revealed by PETA India on August 26. A mahout was shown in a video torturing Joymala with pliers and other tools. In a statement, PETA India said that "she was assaulted so brutally that she can be seen screaming in pain in a viral video."
Wildlife advocates in Assam are up in arms about how the animal is being treated at the temple.
One of them, who wished to remain unnamed, declared he would also take the Tamil Nadu government and the temple trust to court. The activist said that "the temple trust hasn't been able to manage the animal."
Earlier, Jeymalyatha could be seen in a film at a camp for rejuvenation screaming as she was being beaten by two mahouts.
The mahout refused to let PETA India's investigative team openly take pictures and videos of the elephant, despite the Tamil Nadu Forest Department encouraging the organisation to examine the animal and report on its findings.
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