Tamil Nadu: An elephant, Joymala (also known as Jeymalatha), is at the centre of a row in Tamil Nadu, where the state government is facing the claims of animal rights organization PETA over animal cruelty.
Addressing the claims of PETA's campaign for Joymala, which also brought in celebrities from Bollywood, the TN government said that the elephant is "absolutely doing good," the viral video could be "fake."
"Elephant Joymala in Srivilliputhur Andal Temple. Absolutely doing good. Taken good care by the present team. Bathing facility has also been created. Some fake videos are circulating in social media. This video is taken today (5.9.22)," the tweet read, tagging PETA India on September 5.
Earlier, videos of the elephant being beaten and having illegal kept at the premises were reported. The clip shared by PETA and supporters surfaced with caption that read, "This is Jeymalatha, an elephant illegally being kept by Srivilliputhur Nachiyar Thirukovil in Tamil Nadu... mahout uses pliers and ankuses to force her obey. She is forced to stand in her own faeces and urine."
Suggesting that the elephant was beaten in repeated attempts through years, the organisation said that it was reportedly given on a 6-month lease to Tamil Nadu from Assam in 2008 & never returned, making her continued use in Tamil Nadu illegal, in violation of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
In response to Tamil Nadu government's video showing Joymala being given a bath and taken care of, PETA tweeted, "The pool seen in the news appears to have been created recently purely for public relations and was neither completed nor used during inspection even though she has been with the temple since 2008.
