Madurai bench of Madras HC issues notice to govt on petition seeking rehabilitation camps for temple elephants

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], August 21 (ANI): The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court issued a notice to the government for their response to a public interest petition seeking an order to the authorities to conduct rehabilitation camps for the temple, mutt, and other captive elephants once in a year.

Ramkumar Adithyan from Thiruchendur has filed a petition.

In the petition, he stated, “Every year from December to January, the elephants in the temples and monasteries under the control of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of Tamil Nadu are taken to rehabilitation camps. The last rejuvenation camp for elephants was held in February 2021.”

In the petition, he further stated that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no camps have been held since then.

“Even after the pandemic, no rejuvenation camps have been held for the elephants. In these camps, the elephants are provided with adequate rest, fruits, vegetables, sugarcane, minor millets, and jaggery, as well as regular check-ups by veterinarians. This makes the elephants feel refreshed after the camps. Therefore, the Tamil Nadu government should order the annual rejuvenation camps for temple elephants,” the petition stated.

The case came up for hearing before Justices Subramanian and Victoria Gowri.