Chitwan Festival Loses Sponsor After shows Elephant Beating Video
– Nepalayatimes
PETA Reveals Elephant Beaten 23 Times in 30 Minutes at Elephant Polo and Football Event
Chitwan – After People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) provided new video footage of a handler relentlessly beating an elephant with a stick 23 times within 30 minutes at the most recent Chitwan Elephant Festival, Veena World—one of the top travel agencies in India—has confirmed that it’s ending its support of the festival.
Veena World joins over a dozen companies in cutting ties with the Chitwan Elephant Festival after hearing from PETA and its affiliates—including Radisson and Hyatt, which pulled their support during last year’s event.
“PETA’s videos have repeatedly exposed vicious, violent attacks against elephants forced to participate in polo and football games,” says PETA Senior Vice President Jason Baker. “Someone in the Nepalese government didn’t get the memo on ethics and cruelty—it’s time that authorities put a stop to the shameful Chitwan Elephant Festival.”
Another video from this year’s event—along with footage from last year’s event—reveals similar abuse. It shows handlers repeatedly hitting and jabbing elephants on their heads and sensitive ears with bullhooks (weapons that resemble a fireplace poker with a sharp hook on one end), sticks, and makeshift wooden knives in order to force them to race, give rides, and “play” football and polo. One elephant was beaten for nearly a minute, and many suffered from deep, bloody wounds around their heads and ears. When not being forced to perform during the festival, the elephants are used for rides by tourists visiting Chitwan.
PETA’s motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment.”
Broadcast-quality video footage is available here. Photographs are available here. For more information, please visit PETAAsia.com or click here
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