Plea in HC to stop transfer of elephant calf to Nellaiappar temple from Uttarakhand

CHENNAI: With the transfer of an elephant calf to Tirunelveli's Nellaiappar temple from Uttarakhand, an animal welfare group has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the Madras High Court to halt the move.

The PIL was admitted today before the Chief Justice by the People for Cattle in India (PFCI). The court directed that notices be served to the Forest and the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) departments and the union government.

This action follows reports of plans to move a wild elephant calf into temple captivity. Nellaippar temple had earlier housed elephant Gandhimathi, who died earlier this year after a prolonged illness, highlighting serious welfare lapses in captive elephant management.

The PFCI had previously donated a mechanical elephant to an Aruppukottai temple, along with actress Trisha Krishnan, and proposed to do the same here, so rituals can continue without subjecting elephants to captivity, training, or trauma.

Many elephants in the state temples have endured tragedies: elephant Subbulakshmi died due to a fire in a Sivaganga temple shed, elephant Deivanai killed two mahouts after years of isolation and stress in Tiruchendur, and elephant Gandhimathi's slow decline and death underline the systemic neglect in temple care.

"Temples can uphold tradition with compassion," said Arun Prasanna, founder of PFCI. "Bringing a wild calf into captivity for ritual purposes would cause immense suffering and set a dangerous precedent. We urge authorities to adopt humane, modern alternatives like mechanical elephants."

Reports from the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and independent experts repeatedly confirm that temples in Tamil Nadu lack the space, environment, and veterinary care for elephants' welfare.