 Tossing a Keeper
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July 24, 2003 — Elephants employed by the southern state of Kerala will enjoy full retirement benefits at age 65, the provincial forest minister said Thursday.
"We are taking a serious note of growing cruelty towards captive elephants and their violent reaction to their human captors," K. Sudharakaran told the state assembly in Trivandrum.
"The Kerala government has issued norms for the upkeep of elephants which among other things insist that elephants retire from work at the age of 65 years."
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He added that the retired elephants would receive a good "menu, healthcare and living conditions."
"The elephants will also be entitled to checkups by vets," added Sudharakaran.
An estimated 33,000 elephants are left in India — a quarter of their 19th-century population — and many are put to work in construction, logging, security patrols and other businesses.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has accused Indian state governments of routinely exploiting elephants.
"Elephants live for more than 70 years if left unmolested in the forest, yet their average lifespan in captivity is reduced to 14 miserable years," said PETA India chief functionary Anuradha Sawhney.
"Imagine what it must be like for highly intelligent, social and sensitive beings like elephants to be ordered about constantly under the threat of a beating with a bullhook at every moment of their lives."
In January, an elephant working in the forest department in the Kerala city of Cochin killed his keeper-trainer, known as a mahout.
In India, at least 42 people have been killed or injured in the last five years by elephants.
Kerala's retirement policy will not apply to elephants working in private enterprises such as circuses, which have some of the worst conditions.
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Name: Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus)
Primary Classification: Proboscidea (Elephants) Location: India and Southeast Asia. Habitat: Mainly tropical scrub forest. Also thick jungle and savannah. Diet: Mainly grasses. Also bark, roots, leaves, fruits and stems of trees, vines and shrubs. Size: Up to 21 feet in length, 10 feet in height and 5.5 tons in weight. Description: Grayish to brown in color. Sparse, coarse body hair. Thick, dry skin. Long trunk with single finger-like projection. Two bumps on forehead. Columnar legs. Large, fan-like ears. Males have two long, ivory tusks. Cool Facts: They can consume more than 500 pounds of vegetation per day. They urinate 1.5 gallons at a time and up to 15 gallons a day. They use their trunks — which contain up to 100,000 muscles — to suck and spray water, to lift heavy objects, to grasp small objects, to smell, and to detect heat and texture. Conservation Status: Endangered Major Threats: Habitat loss and degradation, as well as poaching. What Can I Do?: Visit the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Elephant Help Project, and Friends of the Asian Elephant for information on how you can help. |
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