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A
lavish spread of watermelons, bananas, papayas and pumpkins is
laid out for the Asian elephants at a sanctuary near the banks
of the Yamuna River, on the outskirts of the ancient holy city
of Mathura.
The centre observes a week of events surrounding World Elephant
Day, which falls on Aug. 12.
Most of the 28 elephants at the centre suffer from chronic
illness and various ailments ranging from abscesses, cataracts,
blindness and joint pain, the result of years of abuse in
captivity, said conservationists with Wildlife SOS, which
operates the sanctuary.
"World Elephant Day is there to promote awareness about the
plight of elephants in India and around the world, and what they
actually go through and why their population is declining," said
Shirina Sawhney from Wildlife SOS, which also runs India's only
elephant hospital.
Elephants are an important part of Indian culture and are often
seen during festivals and processions in the country's south.
They are also used in the north and west as tourist attractions
at several forts and palaces.
But while revered as cultural and religious icons, elephants are
also ill-treated by unschooled mahouts and often fall victim to
electrocution, poaching, train accidents and poisoning.
The number of wild Asiatic elephants, primarily found in India
and parts of South and Southeast Asia, has fallen to under
50,000, just 15% of its historic average, according to the World
Wide Fund for Nature.
(Reporting by Sunil Kataria; Editing by Alasdair Pal and Tom
Hogue)
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