Animal Welfare Board of India Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change Report on the Welfare Status of Elephant Ramabhadran & Elephant Lakshmi Of the Thiruvambady Temple, Thrissur, Kerala, India Elephant Ramabhadran Elephant Lakshmi January 2016 Inspection Conducted by Dr. Rakesh Chittora M N Jayachandran Subrahmanian Santakumar Sr. Veterinary Trainer, President, HAWO (KA 9268), AWBI Animal Rahat Idukki SPCA Trustee, Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation Centre Preface ................................................................................................................................................... - 3 - Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................... - 4 - Recommendations ................................................................................................................................. - 5 - Elephant Thiruvambady Ramabhadran ........................................................................................................... - 5 - Elephant Thiruvambady Lakshmi .................................................................................................................... - 5 - Other Elephants .............................................................................................................................................. - 6 - General Observation &Recommendation ....................................................................................................... - 6 - Welfare Violations in Elephant Keeping ................................................................................................ - 7 - About Thiruvambady Temple ............................................................................................................. - 10 - Elephant Keeping History at the Thiruvambady Temple ................................................................... - 11 - Elephant Deaths ............................................................................................................................................ - 11 - Inspection Report ............................................................................................................................... - 12 - Thiruvambady Ramabhadran ........................................................................................................................ - 12 - Details of Elephant: ....................................................................................................................................... - 12 - Veterinary Summary ..................................................................................................................................... - 13 - Detailed Veterinary Observations ................................................................................................................. - 13 - Behavioural Observations ......................................................................................................................... - 13 - Physical health .............................................................................................................................................. - 14 - The Body Condition ................................................................................................................................... - 14 - Other observations .................................................................................................................................... - 32 - Work Schedule .......................................................................................................................................... - 34 - Additional Observations ............................................................................................................................ - 36 - Interpretation ............................................................................................................................................ - 38 - Thiruvambady Lakshmi ................................................................................................................................. - 39 - Details of Elephant: ....................................................................................................................................... - 39 - Veterinary Summary ................................................................................................................................. - 39 - Detailed Veterinary Observations: ............................................................................................................ - 39 - Physical health .......................................................................................................................................... - 40 - Work Schedule .......................................................................................................................................... - 50 - Records ...................................................................................................................................................... - 50 - Interpretation ............................................................................................................................................ - 50 - Other Elephants Observed ............................................................................................................................ - 52 - Elephant Thiruvambady Unnikrishnan ...................................................................................................... - 52 - Elephant Thiruvambady Arjunan .............................................................................................................. - 57 - Elephant Thiruvambady ShivaSunder ....................................................................................................... - 59 - Elephant Adiyattu Ayyappan .................................................................................................................... - 61 - ANNEXURES ........................................................................................................................................ - 63 - Annexure I (Evaluation Sheets) ..................................................................................................................... - 63 - Elephant Thiruvambady Ramabhadran .................................................................................................... - 63 - .................................................................................................................................................................. - 64 - Elephant Thiruvambady Lakshmi .............................................................................................................. - 69 - Annexure II Body Condition Index Evaluation Sheets ................................................................................... - 75 - Elephant Ramabhadran ............................................................................................................................ - 75 - Elephant Lakshmi ...................................................................................................................................... - 76 - Annexure III Euthanasia Guidelines issued by MoEF & CC ............................................................................ - 77 - ....................................................................................................................................................................... - 77 - Annexure IV (Authorization from the AWBI for the Inspection Team) ......................................................... - 82 - Annexure V Blood work for Ramabhadran ................................................................................................... - 84 - - 1 - Annexure VI (Elephant Ramabhadran – Documents) .................................................................................... - 87 - Last Health Certificate issued to Ramabhadran ............................................................................................ - 87 - Databook .................................................................................................................................................. - 89 - Ownership Certificate ............................................................................................................................... - 90 - Microchip Certificate ................................................................................................................................. - 91 - Insurance certificate .................................................................................................................................. - 92 - Registers .................................................................................................................................................... - 93 - Annexure VIi (Elephant Lakshmi – Documents) .......................................................................................... - 104 - Databook ................................................................................................................................................ - 104 - Microchip Certificate ............................................................................................................................... - 105 - Insurance Policy ...................................................................................................................................... - 106 - Annexure VIII Budgetary