India Temple's Shift To Robotic Elephant Sparks Hope For Mistreated Gentle Giants

A temple in India has hit the headlines after it switched to using a robotic elephant for temple rituals. This comes amid rising calls to protect elephants used for temple festivals in India, which are often maltreated and abused.

The novel use of a robotic elephant in place of a live tusker was reported from Kerala, a verdant state in southern India known for its grand temple festivals where caparisoned elephants are the main attraction.

The Irinjadappilly Sree Krishna Temple in Kerala recently unveiled the life-like mechanical elephant named Irinjadappilly Raman in a ceremony.

In a video shared by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, one can see the life-sized elephant robot flapping its ears quite like the real thing. It can also move its mouth, tail and trunk.

"Our electric-powered elephant comes equipped with five in-built motors that automatically move its ears, tail, head, and mouth, with the trunk being manually controlled," artisan Prasanth Prakashan, a member of the team that created Irinjadappilly Raman, told International Business Times.

Such creations aren't actually new to the team, having been creating cement sculptures for "around 15 years." This included a miniature elephant they had been renting out for events, and which eventually led the way to the creation of Irinjadappilly Raman.

"A few years ago, a video of our miniature elephant went viral, catching the attention of some individuals from Dubai. They reached out to us and asked if we could create a life-sized elephant for a temple festival. We shipped two completed elephant figures to Dubai and also assembled one on-site. The festival featuring our elephants was a massive success, drawing much attention and excitement," explained Prakashan. "PETA contacted us after seeing a video on the same."

The use of the animatronic elephant, which was donated by PETA-India, is reportedly a part of the temple's pledge to no longer use live animals for rituals. The move garnered widespread support, from film actor Parvathy Thiruvothu to activists who lauded the efforts to move to a cruelty-free means of conducting ceremonies.

Elephants In Kerala

Elephants have been a key part of the culture in the state of Kerala, which is reportedly the home of a fifth of India's captive elephants. Prominent temples tend to have their own elephants, and the beasts have their own fanbase quite like celebrities. The Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department even has a list of the popular captive elephants in the state.

But the keeping of captive elephants, and their use in festivals have been rather controversial. Captive elephants would have to be separated from their families and habitats, and end up living their lives in chains, according to PETA-India. Far from the natural life, they would have experienced in their habitats, the creatures tend to be subjected to "severe punishments" to train them to be used for ceremonies and tricks among others.

"The frustration of captivity leads elephants to develop and display abnormal behavior," noted PETA India. "At their wit's end, frustrated elephants often snap and try to break free, running amok and so harming humans, other animals, and property."

For instance, a controversial elephant named Thechikottukavu Ramachandran of the Thechikkottukavu temple trust has grown quite a large fanbase. But, he is also feared for his supposed violent behavior.

At least 13 deaths have reportedly been linked to the elephant, though temple officials have been adamant that the deaths were not a direct result of Thechikottukavu Ramachandran's actions. Instead, they say, the deaths were the unfortunate outcome of the stampedes resulting from the beast's agitation for various reasons during the events he was a part of.

Thechikottukavu Ramachandran is not the only captive elephant to be embroiled in such controversies.

"According to figures compiled by the Heritage Animal Task Force, captive elephants killed 526 people in Kerala in a 15-year period," noted PETA-India, a grim statistic surrounding the beloved creatures.

Hope For The Future

The arrival of Irinjadappilly Raman at the Irinjadappilly Sree Krishna Temple serves not just as a symbolic move but a concrete one that shifts toward a direction that may ultimately prove beneficial for the welfare of the multitudes of elephants in Kerala.

As it happens, it was also only recently when the Center for Research on Animal Rights wrote to the state's chief minister "on behalf of the privately owned suffering, captive elephants in Kerala."

In it, the organization cited the plights of the captive creatures, noting, for instance, that many of them had fresh wounds from being chained up and paraded in the hot sun without ample shade. From 2018 to 2023 alone, it said, some 138 elephants had reportedly died in the state due to "a life of restless torture."

"We write to encourage you to take a historical step towards righting a wrong that has been continuing purely in the name of commodified tradition," the organization wrote. "The time has come to phase out and wholly discontinue the use of chained elephants...not just as a symbol of compassion, but as part of the larger project of social reform, of the Renaissance of Kerala."

Uncertainties

Whether other temples in Kerala would follow suit in opting for mechanical elephants in lieu of the real creatures remains to be seen, as the majestic creatures have been rather intertwined with the temple culture in the state.

As for Irinjadappilly Raman, its mere presence could spark the beginning of a more humane means of maintaining the relationship with the creatures, albeit via a mechanical surrogate. But even the team behind the mechanical elephant expressed uncertainty over where this road would lead — could it be the beginning of a wider acceptance of the substitute if it means giving the gentle giants of the state a potentially better life? Or would it face pushback from those whose lives have been so intertwined with that of the creatures'?

For now, there is a movement for the sake of the elephants' welfare. Slow and uncertain as it may be, the arrival of Irinjadappilly Raman may just be the beginning of a new day for the elephants of Kerala.

"We hope other temples will also think about replacing elephants with robotic elephants for their rituals," temple priest Rajkumar Namboothiri said as per Indian Express.

And PETA-India, surely along with many other organizations and activists, is certainly willing to lend a hand, especially if it means giving captive elephants a new lease on life.

"In this modern era, PETA India encourages all venues and events using elephants to switch to lifelike mechanical elephants or other means in place of real elephants," the organization noted. "For elephants already in captivity, PETA India suggests they be retired to sanctuaries where they can live unchained and in the company of other elephants, healing psychologically and physically from the trauma of years of isolation, captivity and abuse."