In this picture taken on February 25, 2025, a worker gives final touches to a robotic elephant model at a workshop in Thrissur. It flaps its ears and waves its trunk, but this elephant model is a lifesize and lifelike mechanical replica rolled out in India as an alternative for the highly sensitive and endangered animals used for religious festivals in Hindu temples.
| Photo Credit: R. SATISH BABU
As the festival season peaks in the State, coinciding with the scorching summer heat, the alarming rise in incidents where elephants brought in for celebrations run amok have become a serious concern.
These unpredictable elephant rampages have resulted in both loss of human life and widespread property damage, sparking concerns among animal rights activists and the public.
On Tuesday night alone, two separate incidents in the Thrissur district saw two elephants running wild, adding to the growing number of casualties. At Minalur, an elephant Ukkan’s Kunju, turned unruly and attacked its mahouts. The elephant uprooted trees and an electric post.
In the second incident, elephant Thadathavila Sivan, which was brought for the Kumba Bharani celebrations of Makkalikkavu Temple, near Kunnamkulam, turned violent. Traffic was disrupted for hours in both incidents.
“Since the start of the current festive season, 74 elephants have turned unruly, resulting in the deaths of six people and leaving 64 others injured, 12 of them critically,” said V.K. Venkitachalam, secretary of the Heritage Animal Task Force.
One of the root causes behind these incidents, according to Mr. Venkitachalam, is the lack of proper checks on the elephants participating in the parades. “Many of these elephants are either in musth or have a violent history that goes unexamined. In many cases, elephants are paraded with fake certificates, and a significant number are either handicapped or ailing,” he added.
There are strict regulations governing the parading of elephants, such as limiting the duration of their participation to six hours, preventing them from being paraded two consecutive days, and prohibiting transportation between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Additionally, no more than three elephants should be allowed inside temple premises at once. Unfortunately, these rules are often ignored, leading to dangerous consequences, the Task Force argues.
The deadly impact of these violations is evident. In February alone, five people lost their lives due to elephant-related incidents.
Three were killed when two elephants went on a rampage during a festival at Koyilandi on February 13. On February 4, a disabled man was killed after being caught in front of a rampaging elephant in Chittattukara, Thrissur district.
A mahout was also gored to death by an elephant named Vallamkulam Narayanan Kutty during a ritual at Koottanad in Palakkad on February 7. Earlier, on January 8, elephant Pakkath Sreekuttan killed a person during the BP Angadi Nercha at Tirur, Malappuram. In total, nine people died in elephant attacks in 2024 alone.
With the festival season just getting started and more celebrations lined up across the State, the pressing question remains: how many more lives will be lost in the name of tradition before meaningful action is taken?
Published – March 06, 2025 12:17 am IST
