PETA India offers life-like mechanical elephant to Kerala mosque after procession attack kills 1

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India made the offer following a recent incident during the religious processions at a ceremony held at the mosque near Tirur, where an agitated elephant attacked and injured at least 25 devotees.

Thiruvananthapuram: The death of one person in an elephant attack during a festival at Malappuram district in Kerala has once again triggered the demand for stringent regulations for parading elephants in the state.

Krishnankutty,65, who was seriously injured during the Puthiyangadi 'nercha' (offering) at Tirur in Malappuram district on Wednesday, succumbed to the injuries on Friday. Around 25 others were also injured as a male elephant 'Pakkath Sreekuttan' ran amok. Video footage of the incident had gone viral.

The Kerala High Court has sought a report from the district administration on the incident.

The incident occurred close on the heels of the Supreme Court staying a set of fresh safety guidelines prescribed by the Kerala High Court for parading elephants during festivals. Organisers of major festivals of Kerala like Thrissur Pooram had strongly objected to the HC norms citing that parading of more number of elephants will not be possible as per the norms. The Kerala government had also backed them.

With the fresh incident, various forums are again highlighting the need for having stringent safety norms for parading elephants at festivals.

Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) said in a statement that the festival organisers were blatantly violating the existing rules. In the last two years alone around 60 incidents of negative encounters with elephants during festivals were reported. Apart from human loss and injury, elephants also made to go through psychological and physical stress. FIAPO hopes that the apex court and the state administration intervene to protect both humans and elephants, said the statement.

Meanwhile, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has offered a robotic elephant to the organisers of the Puthiyangadi 'nercha' , which is known as a festival of communal harmony.

PETA so far donated seven life-size mechanical elephants to temples in Kerala and Karnataka in recognition of their decision never to own or hire live elephants.

The three-metre-tall mechanical elephants, are made with rubber, fiber, metal and motors, and mounted on a wheelbase. Those could be moved around for rituals and processions.