Guwahati: The Assam Government has decided to send a team from Forest Department to Tamil Nadu on Friday (September 2) to bring back nine elephants including Joymala, The Assam Tribune reported.
The decision has been taken after a video of Joymala, an elephant from Assam, being beaten and abused in a temple in Tamil Nadu has gone viral on social media.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, shared th video on Twitter showing Joymala being tortured by her mahouts inside the temple premises in Tamil Nadu.
Reportedly, several elephants from Assam are held captive in various parts of the country and are often ill-treated by the caretakers.
According to a report by The New Indian Express, Assam’s principal chief conservator of forest and chief wildlife warden MK Yadava on Tuesday (August 30) said that as Joymala could not be brought back to the state due to non-cooperation from the Tamil Nadu government, so the Assam government decided to move the court against the Tamil Nadu government to take legal recourse.
He said that after more than a year of communication, the chief wildlife warden of Tamil Nadu had issued an order in April/May this year granting permission to take away Joymala.
“However, the problem is that the Tamil Nadu forest department needs to take possession of the animal from the temple authorities. It is only then that we can bring it. Otherwise, it will become a case of robbery,” Yadava said.
“The Tamil Nadu government had requested us to bear all expenses. We said to share their bank account details and we will transfer Rs 5 lakh. We will subsequently make the full payment of all expenses required to secure the animal,” Yadava added.
“We are ready from our side to bring back the elephant,” Yadava further said.
Reportedly, Joymala was leased out to the temple in 2008, for six months, by an individual from Assam’s Tinsukia.
