HT Digital
GUWAHATI, Feb 21: The Chennai-based animal welfare organization, People for Cattle in India (PFCI), has moved the Gauhati High Court to step into the rescue and rehabilitation of Joymala (also spelled Jeymalyatha), an elephant who is said to have suffered years of abuse and neglect.
Joymala has been kept in captivity at the Srivilliputhur Arulmigu Nachiyar (Andal) Temple in Tamil Nadu for more than a decade, though her transfer order lapsed in 2013. According to PFCI, her ongoing captivity within the temple is unlawful and inhumane. PFCI has charged the temple administration with illegal detention of Joymala and neglect.
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The authorities have not taken sufficient action despite numerous complaints about her declining health. PFCI has submitted video proof from February 2021 and June 2022, depicting Joymala brutally assaulted by her mahouts. These gruesome images reflect the continued abuse of the elephant and raise serious questions about her condition.
District Level Captive Elephants Welfare Committee (DLEWC) reports in 2022 and 2023 show deplorable conditions under which elephants, including Joymala, are being kept. The reports show chaining for extended periods, poor diet, no exercise, and severe stress among captive elephants. Tamil Nadu authorities have not taken any concrete measures to correct the situation despite these reports, aggravating the suffering of Joymala.
In June 2023, the Deputy Director of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department recognized Joymala’s illness and distress but failed to adopt any remedial measures. To this, PFCI has suggested an alternative solution—adopting mechanical elephants in temple rituals in place of live ones. This humane option has already been followed by various temples in Kerala, enabling religious practices to persist without injuring real elephants.
Apart from campaigning for the release of Joymala, PFCI has also lodged a police complaint against the temple administration on charges of physically assaulting and threatening its members.
On December 23, 2024, PFCI founder Arun Prasanna G. went to the temple to evaluate Joymala’s health but was reportedly attacked by one of the mahouts and temple workers. When he attempted to file an FIR, the local police station reportedly refused to register his complaint, prompting him to escalate the matter to the Superintendent of Police, Virudhunagar District.
PFCI’s petition argues that Joymala’s ongoing captivity at the temple violates the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, as well as the Ministry of Environment and Forests’ 2008 guidelines for captive elephants. The group is appealing to the authorities to shift her to a wildlife sanctuary, where she will remain in a natural habitat, not being subjected to abuse and confinement.
