Made of rubber, fiber, metal, mesh, foam, steel, PETA helping replace real with mechanical elephants

By Jag Jivan

In a significant move toward animal welfare, the elephants Bishnupriya and Lakshmipriya from ISKCON Mayapur have been transferred to the Vantara elephant sanctuary in Jamnagar for rehabilitation. This decision against the backdrop of Bishnupriya, a captive elephant, crushed a mahout to death in April 2023, highlighting the severe mental trauma endured by elephants in captivity. Bishnupriya had also left another mahout disabled in 2022.

The transfer was approved by the High-Powered Committee of the Supreme Court, following a request from ISKCON Mayapur. The decision was influenced by a campaign by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, which urged ISKCON to release its captive elephants to a reputable sanctuary.

PETA India had written to Jayapataka Swami, Co-Director of ISKCON Mayapur, immediately after the mahout’s death, advocating for the use of mechanical elephants in rituals and processions and the rehabilitation of Bishnupriya and Lakshmipriya. Bishnupriya was brought to ISKCON Mayapur in 2010, while Lakshmipriya arrived in 2007. Both female elephants were used for festivals and rituals at the temple.

Khushboo Gupta, Director of Advocacy Projects at PETA India, welcomed the decision, stating, “We commend ISKCON for taking compassionate steps to rehabilitate elephants Bishnupriya and Lakshmipriya to Vantara and are hopeful other temples and institutions keeping captive elephants will also be inspired to send them for rehabilitation. Today, mechanical elephants can perform all the necessary functions, allowing real elephants to be rehabilitated or to remain in their jungle homes.”

PETA India has been at the forefront of a movement to replace live elephants in temples with mechanical alternatives. Since early 2023, at least twelve mechanical elephants have been introduced in temples across South India, with PETA India donating seven of them. These mechanical elephants, which stand 3 meters tall and weigh 800 kilograms, are made from rubber, fiber, metal, mesh, foam, and steel. They are equipped with five motors and can mimic real elephants by moving their heads, ears, eyes, tails, and trunks, and even spraying water. They are mounted on wheelbases, making them easy to operate and maneuver during rituals and processions.

Elephants are highly intelligent, social, and active animals that suffer immensely in captivity. They are often subjected to brutal training methods, including beatings and the use of weapons, to force them to participate in processions. Many captive elephants endure painful foot problems and leg wounds from being chained to concrete for extended periods. They are frequently denied adequate food, water, veterinary care, and the opportunity to live a natural life. Such conditions often lead to extreme frustration, causing elephants to lash out, sometimes fatally. According to the *Heritage Animal Task Force*, captive elephants killed 526 people in Kerala over a 15-year period.

PETA India, whose motto states that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment,” continues to advocate against speciesism and the exploitation of animals.

Comments

Grueling summer ahead: Cuttack’s alarming health trends and what they mean for Odisha

By Sudhansu R Das The preparation to face the summer should begin early in Odisha. People in the state endure long, grueling summer months starting from mid-February and extending until the end of October. This prolonged heat adversely affects productivity, causes deaths and diseases, and impacts agriculture, tourism and the unorganized sector. The social, economic and cultural life of the state remains severely disrupted during the peak heat months.

Stronger India–Russia partnership highlights a missed energy breakthrough

By N.S. Venkataraman* The recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India was widely publicized across several countries and has attracted significant global attention. The warmth with which Mr. Putin was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was particularly noted, prompting policy planners worldwide to examine the implications of this cordial relationship for the global economy and political climate. India–Russia relations have stood on a strong foundation for decades and have consistently withstood geopolitical shifts. This is in marked contrast to India’s ties with the United States, which have experienced fluctuations under different U.S. administrations.

From natural farming to fair prices: Young entrepreneurs show a new path

By Bharat Dogra There have been frequent debates on agro-business companies not showing adequate concern for the livelihoods of small farmers. Farmers’ unions have often protested—generally with good reason—that while they do not receive fair returns despite high risks and hard work, corporate interests that merely process the crops produced by farmers earn disproportionately high profits. Hence, there is a growing demand for alternative models of agro-business development that demonstrate genuine commitment to protecting farmer livelihoods.

The Vande Mataram debate and the politics of manufactured controversy

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The recent Vande Mataram debate in Parliament was never meant to foster genuine dialogue. Each political party spoke past the other, addressing its own constituency, ensuring that clips went viral rather than contributing to meaningful deliberation. The objective was clear: to construct a Hindutva narrative ahead of the Bengal elections. Predictably, the Lok Sabha will likely expunge the opposition’s “controversial” remarks while retaining blatant inaccuracies voiced by ministers and ruling-party members. The BJP has mastered the art of inserting distortions into parliamentary records to provide them with a veneer of historical legitimacy.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

The cost of being Indian: How inequality and market logic redefine rights

By Vikas Gupta We, the people of India, are engaged in a daily tryst—read: struggle—for basic human rights. For the seemingly well-to-do, the wish list includes constant water supply, clean air, safe roads, punctual public transportation, and crime-free neighbourhoods. For those further down the ladder, the struggle is starker: food that fills the stomach, water that doesn’t sicken, medicines that don’t kill, houses that don’t flood, habitats at safe distances from polluted streams or garbage piles, and exploitation-free environments in the public institutions they are compelled to navigate.

Why India must urgently strengthen its policies for an ageing population

By Bharat Dogra A quiet but far-reaching demographic transformation is reshaping much of the world. As life expectancy rises and birth rates fall, societies are witnessing a rapid increase in the proportion of older people. This shift has profound implications for public policy, and the need to strengthen frameworks for healthy and secure ageing has never been more urgent. India is among the countries where these pressures will intensify most sharply in the coming decades.

Thota Sitaramaiah: An internal pillar of an underground organisation

By Harsh Thakor* Thota Sitaramaiah was regarded within his circles as an example of the many individuals whose work in various underground movements remained largely unknown to the wider public. While some leaders become visible through organisational roles or media attention, many others contribute quietly, without public recognition. Sitaramaiah was considered one such figure. He passed away on December 8, 2025, at the age of 65.

Bangladesh alternative more vital for NE India than Kaladan project in Myanmar

By Mehjabin Bhanu* There has been a recent surge in the number of Chin refugees entering Mizoram from the adjacent nation as a result of airstrikes by the Myanmar Army on ethnic insurgents and intense fighting along the border between India and Myanmar. Uncertainty has surrounded India's Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport project, which uses Sittwe port in Myanmar, due to the recent outbreak of hostilities along the Mizoram-Myanmar border. Construction on the road portion of the Kaladan project, which runs from Paletwa in Myanmar to Zorinpui in Mizoram, was resumed thanks to the time of relative calm during the intermittent period. However, recent unrest has increased concerns about missing the revised commissioning goal dates. The project's goal is to link northeastern states with the rest of India via an alternate route, using the Sittwe port in Myanmar. In addition to this route, India can also connect the region with the rest of India through Assam by using the Chittagon...

Search This Blog