The Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department on Monday refuted reports that an elephant ‘Joymala’ in Srivilliputhur Andal Temple was in a state of continuous abuse.
Sharing a video of the elephant taken on Monday, the department tweeted, “Elephant Joymala in Srivilliputhur Andal Temple. Absolutely doing good. Taken good care by the present team. Bathing facility has also been created. Some fake videos are circulating in social media. This video is taken today.”
The department’s tweet was to refute PETA India’s allegations that the female elephant was abused by various mahouts since 2021. The organisation put out several videos in support of their claim. They charged that following a veterinary inspection on July 27 by the organisation, it was found that Joymala posed a threat to her mahout and others around her if at some point she was unable to bear the abuse any longer.
