India urged to blow whistle on "cruel" elephant polo
INDIA: Animal rights activists in India have called on the eve
of a controversial tournament for the elite, centuries-old sport of
elephant polo to be banned due to what they say is the pain and
suffering it causes the animals.
Privileged royals and the rich have been playing the game for
hundreds of years in the desert state of Rajasthan, dotted with the
fading palaces of once powerful royals, and still stage regular events.
But it has no place in a modern India struggling to spread a message
that wildlife must be protected, activists say.
"Elephants are endangered animals in India and they should be
respected rather than exposed to cruel and inhuman treatment and made to
play games for other people's entertainment," Anuradha Sawhney of the
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals India (PETA) said.
This weekend, the Elephant Polo Cup, sponsored by Swiss jeweller
Cartier and co-organised by the brother-in-law of Britain's Prince
Charles, Mark Shand, will be held in Jaipur, Rajasthan's capital.
Blue-blooded members of the aristocracy are expected to rub shoulders
with politicians and Bollywood celebrities.
A statement by Shand and his co-organisers said they are staging an
alternative to the regular elephant polo matches which use "ankushes" or
sharp iron prods to control the animals.
It also aims to highlight the miserable living conditions of India's
captive elephants, he says, but the event has been attacked by
activists.
The PETA, backed by leading wildlife groups including the Wildlife
Protection Society of India, have called on Cartier to drop the event,
which will involve 20 of Jaipur's 100 captive elephants, used to ferry
tourists round the city's sights.
Animal rights workers say throughout the year the pachyderms are
treated inhumanely, subjected to beatings and live in confined and
squalid conditions, and the polo matches would add to their suffering.
"Our main concern is that elephants are not made to play games and we
would like a complete ban," Sawhney said.
A spokeswoman for Cartier said there was no cruelty involved in the
event with the elephants only asked to amble around a field for 10
minutes. In most matches the animals are goaded to run fast in hot sun.
"The elephants otherwise would be chained, standing in excrement,
lacking exercise and mental stimulation which they need so much," said
Christine Borgoltz, the firm's director of external relations in Paris.
"The elephants enjoy being together in a wide open space and being
able to stretch their legs."
New Delhi, Friday, Reuters |