Chained up elephant sways in distress after ‘rigorous training’ to prepare it for Indian festival

Nowhere to run: Chained up elephant sways in distress after nearly two months of ‘rigorous training’ to prepare it for Indian festival

  • More than 400,000 people are expected to attend the annual Dasara festival
  • During the festival parade, 12 elephants are forced to walk with heavy weights 
  • They undergo up to two months of training that cause their feet to wear out 

A heartbreaking video shows a chained up elephant swaying in distress after almost two months of ‘rigorous training’ for an Indian festival.

More than 400,000 people from all over India are expected to attend the annual Dasara festival in Mysuru in October.

During the festival’s Jumbo Savari procession, 12 elephants are forced to walk more than 5km (three miles) with heavy weights on their backs.

A heartbreaking video shows a chained up elephant swaying in distress after almost two months of ‘rigorous training’ for an Indian festival

And the cost of training on one of the elephants set to take part is clear – as the animal is seen rocking helplessly from side to side in newly released footage.

PETA India has recently staged a protest calling for an end to the Dasara festival’s use of the elephants.

Rangaraju, an elephant handler who is responsible for taking the animals from the wild, has taken part in more than 24 Darasa festivals.

Known as the ‘nail man,’ his job involves walking ahead of the elephants during the parade and watching out for nails, stones and other sharp objects that could injure them.

During the Dasara festival's Jumbo Savari procession, 12 elephants are forced to walk more than 5km (three miles) with heavy weights on their backs

During the Dasara festival’s Jumbo Savari procession, 12 elephants are forced to walk more than 5km (three miles) with heavy weights on their backs

An elephant handler says the training involved causes the feet of elephants to wear out 

An elephant handler says the training involved causes the feet of elephants to wear out 

And he has admitted that the training involved causes the feet of elephants to wear out.

‘Elephants spend a minimum of 50 days to two months in Mysuru and undergo rigorous training. This makes their feet wear out,’ he said.

‘As such a very small stone can cause a big injury and pus formation is easy once the leg is hurt.

‘My job is to ensure that roads are smooth for the elephants to move.’

According to local media, some elephants are even poisoned by drunken mahouts looking to disrupt the event.

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