Guwahati: The Assam government has decided to send a team of forest officials to Tamil Nadu to examine the condition of the elephant ‘Joymala’, who has allegedly been subjected to torture at a temple in the south Indian State.
On August 26, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India exposed the abuse of Joymala. In a video, a mahout was seen beating up Joymala using weapons, including pliers.
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Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said if the team finds evidence of any torture, the Assam government will take every possible measure to bring back the elephant.
“It’s not about just one elephant. Our government is committed to rescuing other captive elephants from Assam if they are subjected to cruelty. But at the moment we are verifying the claims of cruelty,” India Today NE quoted Chief Minister Sarma as saying.
Meanwhile, the Assam forest department has planned to move the court against the Tamil Nadu government for not returning the elephant.
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Assam’s principal chief conservator of forest and chief wildlife warden MK Yadava Joymala, the adult female elephant, could not be brought back to the state due to non-cooperation from the Tamil Nadu government.
Ydav said after more than a year of communication, the chief wildlife warden of Tamil Nadu had issued an order in April this year granting permission to take away Joymala.
“However, the technical problem is that the Tamil Nadu forest department needs to take possession of the animal. It is only then that we can bring it. Otherwise, it will become a case of robbery,” Yadava was quoted by New Indian Express as saying.