Organise rejuvenation camps for temple, mutt elephants: Plea

Madurai: Madras high court on Monday sought a response from the state on a plea which sought a direction to the authorities to organise rejuvenation camps for temple, mutt and other captive elephants once a year.
A division bench of justice R Subramanian and justice L Victoria Gowri sought the response while hearing a public interest litigation filed by an advocate B Ramkumar Adityan.
The petitioner stated that the Hindu religious and charitable endowments (HR&CE) department organises rejuvenation camps every year for temples and mutts. Later, the facility was extended to the captive elephants of the forest department.
During the camp, the pachyderms are given complete rest, in addition to being provided with nutritious food. A dedicated team of veterinary doctors and other assistants from the animal husbandry department are posted to monitor the health of the animals.
The petitioner stated that the last annual rejuvenation camp was organised in Feb 2021. The HR&CE department took a stand that the camp was not necessary. The temple elephants are getting all the care at the temples itself. The veterinarians monitor their diet and bathtubs for the temple elephants at a few temples were constructed.
Adityan stated that the elephants in the HR&CE temples are females, which are highly social animals that need the company of other elephants for their psychological well-being. Many elephants held captive in temples and used for rides suffer from painful foot problems and leg wounds due to being chained on concrete for hours. Most of them are denied adequate food, water, veterinary care, and any semblance of a natural life. This has led to several violent incidents.
The petitioner stated that the rejuvenation camp has helped the elephants overcome stress developed during captivity. Hence, he moved court.