Zoo enclosure is saddest place on earth for elephant

MUMBAI: Animal experts have stated that continuously teasing zoo animals, especially large animals like elephants, and trespassing into their territories are the main provocations that cause the animals to react, sometimes fatally.

The secretary of the Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA), Lt Colonel (Retd) J C Khanna, told TOI, “There is not adequate discipline among the visitors at the Mumbai zoo. They generally tease the animals. But what is more shocking about Sunday’s incident is that a stranger somehow managed to stray into the elephants’ enclosure. The elephants can see this as a major threat.’’

Khanna added that if one is not familiar with large, emotional animals like elephants, one must never violate their space, leave alone trespass into their enclosures. It could be met with a sharp, deadly reaction from the large animals, he said.

“I believe that the mahouts were not present at the time of the incident, and there is not even a proper notice or warning at the zoo to stop people from getting too close to the elephants,’’ he said. “Even in the case of a horse, a stranger must always approach it from the left, and not from behind or the right. Otherwise, even horses tend to attack a stranger coming close to them.’’

Anuradha Sawhney, the former chief of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta India), who is now a member of Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), said, “A study by the London-based Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) clearly indicates that all elephants slowly go mad due to being held in captivity for years. As an animal activist, I believe that no animal, big or small, must be kept in cages or enclosures as it is very stressful and painful for them.’’

“Elephants are very moody and emotional animals. Only a smart handler will know what can badly irk or provoke elephants, who are naturally found roaming freely in forests in big communities or herds. So a zoo enclosure is the saddest place on earth for elephants,’’ said Sawhney.

Most animal experts said that each captive elephant needs to be bathed with 1,000 litres of water a day, especially during hot weather, and must be fed twice daily. “Any daily need of an elephant that is not met can make them irritable and sometimes dangerous. But from what I gathered from Sunday’s incident, the trespasser not only entered the elephant’s enclosure, but also opened a shed. This is major provocation,’’ said Khanna.

Source: Times Of India
URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Zoo-enclosure-is-saddest-place-on-earth-for-elephant/articleshow/5736976.cms