Dr BD Kalla Honourable Minister of Art & Culture And
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Dr BD Kalla Honourable Minister of Art & Culture and Archaeology & Museums Albert Hall Museum Ram Niwas Bagh Jaipur 302 005 Rajasthan 12 May 2020 Dear Dr Kalla ji, I am writing to you from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India to request that you protect elephants and public health by permanently ending the use of elephants, some of whom have tested reactive for tuberculosis (TB), for rides at Amer Fort. Scientists believe COVID-19 infected humans via wild animals in China. Exposing the public to another infectious disease (as elephants can transmit TB to humans) is a reckless recipe for disaster that your authority can easily prevent. We strongly encourage your department to issue motorised cart licences to elephant caretakers and mahouts so they can shuttle tourists safely. The Department of Archaeology & Museums is the guardian of Amer Fort in Jaipur, which is a "protected monument" under the Rajasthan Monuments, Archaeological Sites and Antiquities Act, 1961. The department is primarily responsible for activities at Amer Fort, including the elephant rides, the fees for which are fixed in the terms of Schedule II, Part III of the Rajasthan Monuments, Archaeological Sites and Antiquities Rules, 1968 (Annexure 1). Many captive and wild elephants are suffering from TB in our country, including some of those used at Amer Fort, but the tourist attraction can be run without the risk of spreading this infectious disease through the use of carts. An April 2018 report on captive elephants used for rides and other forms of tourist interactions in Jaipur by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) revealed that 10% of those tested (10 out of 91) were infected with TB (Annexure 2). This report also states that the post-mortem reports for four elephants who died within a period of five months in 2017 indicated that they had been suffering from respiratory diseases – likely TB. Not all 134 elephants employed by your department have been accurately screened for TB – nor, seemingly, have any mahouts – so permitting their use poses a serious public health risk. In some reported cases, TB has been passed from captive elephants to humans, and in order to eradicate TB from India, the disease must be eliminated in animals as well as humans. Yet there is recent evidence that the captive elephants at Amer Fort were inadequately tested with unapproved kits and then declared TB-free after an insufficient amount of time (less than the minimum six months of the standard treatment protocol) so that they can continue being used. This is gravely concerning and irresponsible. Disease isn't the only public health hazard elephant rides pose. Captivity and abuse causes many elephants to snap and express their frustration by harming or killing those around them, spawning a chain reaction of calamity. In June 2017, a group of American tourists witnessed eight men violently beating an elephant named Malti with sticks at Amer Fort. Last year, she was beaten by handlers again in public, with no regard for her obvious suffering and mental agony. Another issue is that elephant rides around Amer Fort are apparently illegal as per a response received under the Right to Information Act, 2005, which states that none of the elephants used are registered with the AWBI, in apparent violation of the Performing Animals (Registration) Rules (PARR), 2001, framed under The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960 (Annexure 3), and the 2010 order of the Rajasthan government mandating that the AWBI must give permission for any use of elephants in any type of performance – including rides (Annexure 4). In the application seeking the registration of elephants under PARR submitted to the AWBI in October 2017, the custodians of these elephants had declared that until permission was issued, their animals would not be used for any performance, including rides. What's more, elephants are classified as highly endangered species under Schedule I in the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and capturing one is prohibited, but many captive elephants currently around Jaipur are thought to have been captured illegally in the wild. Many of the custodians do not have a valid ownership certificate to keep an elephant. The PCA Act, 1960, also prohibits abusing animals, yet in addition to the media's documentation of Malti's beatings, the AWBI's 2018 report documented that elephants used at Amer Fort were suffering from painful overgrown toenails and bruised footpads as well as severe psychological distress and visual impairment – and many of them were over 50 years old. Someone had severed nearly half the inspected elephants' tusks, which is illegal and may have contributed to the ivory trade, and all the examined elephants were seen carrying loads heavier than the legal maximum. Despite all these serious non-compliances, the Department of Archaeology & Museums, Rajasthan, continues to allow elephants to be used for rides at Amer Fort. We must learn from the COVID-19 pandemic and protect the public and elephants – who are being denied basic necessities, including much-needed veterinary care – from disease. Therefore, we respectfully urge you to use your power to end all elephant rides at Amer Fort and help people in the trade make the transition to operating cruelty-free mechanised carts for visitor shuttles instead. Such a move would be safer for everyone, and the unethical enslavement of elephants can be relegated to the past where it belongs and the risk of disease outbreak prevented. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you regarding this important matter. Sincerely, Khushboo Gupta Chief Advocacy Officer +91 99103797382 (mobile) cc: Smt Sreya Guha, Principal Secretary, Art & Culture Smt Bindu Karunakar, Deputy Secretary, Art & Culture Sh Prakash Chandra Sharma, Director, Dept. of Archaeology & Museums Sh Pankaj Dharendra, Superintendent, Amber Palace, Jaipur .