Video: Captive Elephant Attacks Tourist at Amer Fort, India
Video: Captive Elephant Attacks Tourist at Amer Fort, India
London – PETA has released terrifying footage (available here) showing the moment a captive elephant named Gouri (“ride no 86”) attacked a Russian tourist in the main courtyard of Amer Fort in Jaipur, India. The footage, captured on CCTV on 13 February, shows the elephant grabbing the woman in her trunk, swinging her vigorously, and then slamming her to the ground, breaking her leg. The same elephant, who was forced to give rides at the popular tourist site, severely injured a male shopkeeper in October 2022.
Out of concern for public safety and the animal’s welfare, PETA India is appealing to the regional government to urgently move Gouri to a sanctuary, where she could begin to recover from the mental trauma of a lifetime of enslavement. The group is also requesting that all elephant rides be replaced immediately with eco-friendly motorised vehicles. PETA entities worldwide are calling on tourists everywhere to stay away from activities involving direct contact with elephants.
“Elephants who have spent years being chained, bullied, and threatened with weapons are known to run amok, lashing out in fear and frustration,” says PETA Senior Vice President of International Affairs Poorva Joshipura. “Despite being a known danger, Gouri continued to be used to carry tourists at Amer Fort. Authorities must wake up and send her to a sanctuary and replace the use of elephants with beautifully decorated electric vehicles. In the meantime, tourists need to vote with their wallets and not support this abuse.”
When elephants attack humans, the animals are typically beaten and subjected to other punishments, which only increases their frustration and distress. Furthermore, elephants commonly carry tuberculosis, which can infect humans. PETA India has previously highlighted that elephants who have tested positive for tuberculosis have still been used for rides.
ABTA – the UK’s largest travel association – has labelled direct contact between tourists and elephants “unacceptable”. The UK government passed the Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act, which seeks to ban tour operators in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland from advertising cruel animal attractions and experiences like elephant rides. Pressure is now on the secretary of state for environment, food, and rural affairs to move forward with a consultation to identify which activities the act will cover.
PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information on how to help end the exploitation of animals in tourism, please visit PETA.org.uk or follow the group on .
Contact:
Jennifer White +44 (0) 20 7837 6327; [email protected]
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