Sri Lanka: Starving Elderly Elephant’s Emaciated Body in Buddhist Festival

ASIA--PACIFIC, ANIMAL RIGHTS - VEGETARIANISM, RELIGION, 19 Aug 2019

Joe Roberts | Metro – TRANSCEND Media Service

The 70-year-old elephant’s emaciated body in the light of day.  (Picture: Lek Chailert)

13 Aug 2019 – This starving 70-year-old elephant is made to walk miles every night so people can feel ‘blessed’ at a religious festival, an activist has claimed.

The ailing female elephant, who is called Tikiri, is covered in a colourful costume so the people watching her in the parade do not see her emaciated body.

Elephants are made to wear colourful costumes for the Esala Perahera in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
(Picture: Lek Chailert)

Lek Chailert, the founder of Save Elephant Foundation, said Tikiri is one of 60 elephants being forced to work for ten consecutive nights at the Esala Perahera, a Buddhist festival in Kandy, Sri Lanka.

She claims the elephants are ‘short shackled’ so they walk slower through the noisy chaos of the night parade.

Chailert, whose organisation rescues elephants in Thailand, said ‘no one sees the tears’ in Tikiri’s eyes in a heartfelt post on World Elephant Day.

Tikiri is forced to parade through the city for ten consecutive nights.  (Picture: Lek Chailert)

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