A Hindu temple in southern India has replaced the bony elephant with a mechanical one to carry out its ceremonies, in an attempt to fight the mistreatment and poaching of this animal, considered sacred by Hinduism.
The innovative initiative, carried out in a Hindu temple in the southern state of Kerala, was born from a donation promoted by the organization in favor of animal rights People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) that promotes an intense campaign in the country to protect pachyderms.
The robotic elephant “will help the ceremonies in the temples to be carried out safely and without cruelty, thus supporting the real rehabilitation of the elephants and life in the forests, putting an end to the horror of captivity,” explained to EFE the PETA India communications office.
At about 11 feet tall and weighing 800 kilograms, the robot-elephant, named Irinjadappilly Raman, is capable of carrying up to five people and its movements can be controlled with a remote control.
PETA hopes that this initiative will spread to other states in India to abandon the habitual practice of these creatures in Hindu rituals, where they are sometimes used to transport the gods in processions and ceremonies, trained at the cost of mistreatment.
The Asian elephant population is concentrated in southern India, where they are routinely kept or illegally transported to other regions, often dying from being chained for long hours without access to water or veterinary care.
An animal rights group recently urged state authorities to launch an investigation into the frequent deaths of elephants.
The Animal Rights Research Center (CRAR) recorded the death of 138 captive elephants between 2018 and 2023 in Kerala alone.
