Elephant torture takes a new style – The elephant Thiruvambady Sivasundhar is used to block the passage of another elephants at the entrance of Rudhira Mahakalikavu (Uthralikkavu) in Thrissur.  

The photograph enclosed here with clearly shows an elephant named Thiruvambadi Sivasundhar being compelled to stand at the entrance of Rudhira Mahakalikavu temple yesterday morning to block the passage of another elephant at the entrance of that temple. If you look at that picture closely you can find out people gathered outside the entrance of the temple to enquire about the reason for using that elephant to block the passage of another elephant which is standing inside that temple. Actually the night time elephant parade started at that temple at 1.00 AM yesterday. The time at which this photograph clicked was 9.30 AM. From 1.00 AM to 9.30 AM 33 elephants were continuously compelled to stand at that festival ground. After that morning ritual elephant parade, the Enkakkad faction which must enter the temple with its main elephant (Thiruvambadi Sivasundhar) was not ready to do it at 9.30 AM. Then another faction named Kumaranellur Desham entered the temple with its main elephant. Then the Wadakkanchery faction entered the temple with its main elephants. Even after these two elephants entered the temple, the Enkakkad faction was not ready to allow its main elephant to enter the temple due to some personal differences with members of that faction and other factions. Then when the Kumaranellur faction tried to come out with its elephant having main idol atop was not allowed to come out through the main entrance as the Enkakkad faction had compelled its main elephant Thiruvambadi Sivasundhar to stand at the entrance of Rudhira Mahakalikavu temple for a time period of 1 hour. Then the Kumaranellur faction came out of the temple through side door of that temple along with the elephant after placing the main idol at the premises of the temple. Then the Wadakkanchery faction came out of the temple through side door of that temple and proceeded towards their temple at Wadakkanchery town. This type of using elephant to block the passage of other elephants at the entrance of this temple is the first of its kind in Kerala. This type of abusing elephants to stand for a long time due to personal differences of opinion is a real torture. Actually all the elephants will have to leave the temple premises at around 8.30 AM yesterday. But due to this type of blocking at the entrance of that temple, these 3 elephants were starved for 2 hours. I expect that your authoritative office will consider this plea as serious and initiate high level enquiry to ensure penal action against all those persons who were party to this type of abuse of elephants. Using 33 elephants for night period elephant parade for 8 hours after using them for 11 hours during day time is also a violation of provisions of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 and the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. In actual sense, the whole elephant parade at Uthralikkavu on 2nd March and 1st March 2016 was quite violation of the Supreme Court Order dated 18th August 2015 which had ordered the Kerala Forest Department to ensure that Elephant Parade Rules are not violated by elephant owners and festival organizers.