Sir Paul McCarthy, Pamela Anderson and thousands of other animal activists recently appealed to Indian government officials to free Sunder, a young elephant held captive and abused in an Indian temple. They succeeded in freeing the elephant, but unfortunately, Sunder's predicament was not unique. Many other elephants are being held captive in Indian temples to represent the Hindu god Ganesha.
These captive elephants are often beaten, prodded and gouged in sensitive areas with a sharp tool, and kept in chains. Many are denied medical care for serious conditions and are poorly fed. Elephants kept captive under these conditions display unnatural behaviors such as swaying, head-bobbing and weaving, and have been known to hurt or kill humans around them.
Elephants deserve better than to be held under these conditions. Please sign the petition to urge the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests to relocate these elephants to a suitable wildlife sanctuary and create legislation to prevent these abuses in the future.
To: Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests
We, the undersigned, are pleased to hear that Sunder, a young elephant held captive and abused in an Indian temple, was recently freed. Unfortunately, Sunder's predicament was not unique. We are concerned about the many other elephants held captive in Indian temples to represent the Hindu god Ganesha.
These captive elephants are often beaten, prodded and gouged in sensitive areas with a sharp tool, and kept in chains. Many are denied medical care for serious conditions and are poorly fed. Elephants kept captive under these conditions display unnatural behaviors such as swaying, head-bobbing and weaving, and have been known to hurt or kill humans around them.
Elephants deserve better than to be held under these conditions. We urge you to relocate these temple elephants to a suitable sanctuary and create legislation to prevent these abuses in the future. Thank you for taking the time to read and consider our petition.
