How can we let such beautiful and gentle creatures, who cry like humans, be treated in this barbaric manner and all in the name of religion? What "pacific" Hindu and Buddhist religions allow such torture? And each of these gentle giants has to endure this torture for 40-50 years as they eke out a life for so long. Recently in Sri Lanka an emaciated female elephant was made to walk miles and miles in close shackles during festivities and almost died a miserable death. To make it worse these elephants are "owned" by rich and powerful people and so no action can be taken. A photo shows police officers laughing when the chained elephants are beaten.

Poaching is terrible but this is worse. The elephant is mercifully dead at the hands of the poacher. These Temple elephants endure torture for decades. Do we have to be satisfied with ONE elephant, Sunder, being saved by Paul McCartney, Amitabh Bachhan and other celebrities?

Let us put a complete stop to this unholy "religious" travesty.