Robots eliminate India elephants

It is reaching the ears and water of water from a ripple trunk, but this elephant is a mechanical copy of life that has been released to replace the endangered animals in the Hindu temples of India.

Made of fiberglass and rubber, and passing into a wheeled metal frame strong enough to keep a rider, the model is one of the dozens of animal rights campaigns as an alternative to maintain elephants in Captain in India.

Elephants are used during many Hindu churches, overlooked through full -blown lights, drum hits and ear slit music. The deadly attacks by panicked Pachyderms are common.

“He’s a wild animal, he likes to live in jungles,” said CG Prakash, a 68 -year -old former official at the popular Chakkambaambu Bhagavathy Temple in the south state of Kerala, India. “We record it and torture it. It’s completely immoral.”

Prakash helped bring the elephant robot to the temple. It is given by the voice for the Asian company Elephates, which said it would help the “traditions of the temple without cruelty”.

‘Stay with families’

Campaigns by humans for animal treatment (PETA) India say that more than 2,700 captive elephants in the country often face “serious physical and psychological stress”. Although they are herd animals, they are often kept alone and chained for much of the day. Peta has funded more than twelve models from 2023, donated, provided that temples move their elephants to approved sanctuaries.

“Mechanical elephants help to preserve old traditions in a modern way,” Peta’s KhushBoo Gupta said. “They help to ensure that real elephants can stay with their families in the natural jungle habitats.”

Like the real thing, the models are dressed in golden hairstyle and covered with flower garlands. Model manufacturers say a luxurious version – complete with electric motors that feed a swing head, rolling eyes and a live swishing tail – can cost more than $ 5,500.

Professional Model Manufacturer Prasanth Prakasan, 42, said that he and three friends started making elephant models as a work of art, but they are happy to help protect real animals.

“What we do is save elephants and we are happy about it,” he said.

The team has made nearly 50 such elephants – with a production line in the lab building quite a bit. For those who want an elephant in their wedding, models can be rented without the cumbersome licenses required for a costly real, he said.

‘Exploited’

Accidents that include scary elephants that prevent crowds are common and some temples that go to models report the safety of their pilgrims. Only in February, Peta recorded incidents in Kerala with nine captive elephants who lost control, with five killers killed. In one, an elephant at a festival was frightened by fireworks, pulled his partner with a Tusk and triggered a slaughter that killed three people and injured dozens.

“Those who care for them, many do not follow the rules,” said VK Venkitachalam, 60, from the Task Force Rights Group of Heritage Animal.

Animal welfare also earns increasing attention. In November, the High Court of Kerala issued guidelines for the better treatment of captive elephants.

“Their use is often sought to be justified by the terminal of tradition and religious practice,” the court writes.

But “the animals exploit commercially without any care or concern about their well -being,” he said.

The guidelines were later left by the Supreme Court saying that the guidelines were not practical.

‘Non -violence’

There are fewer than 50,000 Asian elephants in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund, the majority in India, with others in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. The species is threatened, according to the International Union to maintain nature.

As elephants are shrinking, the conflict between people and wild elephants have increased-629 people were killed by elephants across India in 2023-2024, according to parliamentary figures.

During the same period, 121 elephants were killed – the overwhelming majority of powerful electric fences, as well as poaching, poisoning and filler filling.

For animal rights activists, model elephants are a safe solution that fits religious authorities.

“This initiative honors Ahimsa, or non -violence, a doctrine of Hinduism,” said Petta’s Gupta.

Among some pilgrims, calm models are relief.

“When it’s a living elephant, there is a fear between us. What if it runs Amok?” 58 -year -old teacher Jayasree Sivaraman Narayaneya said. “Since it is a robotic elephant. We feel much safer.” AFP