A video of an elephant being transported through a truck and the elephant jumping off the vehicle is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it shows how PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) took away the Kanchi Mutt elephants by torturing them. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Kanchi Mutt elephants torturously being taken away by PETA.
Fact: The video shows ‘Sandhya’, an elephant, being transferred to a rehabilitation centre by ‘Tree Foundation India’ and ‘Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation Centre’ on the request of ‘Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam’. ‘PETA India’ has nothing to do with the incident in the video. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the screenshots of the video were run through Google Reverse Image Search, a video with similar visuals was found in the search results. A user has tweeted the same video with a similar claim to which ‘PETA India’ has responded that it is fake news and the video has nothing to do with PETA India. Let’s check for more information regarding the video. The above user has also tweeted the same video previously in June 2020 with the claim – ‘This is how the NGO took the Sandhya few years ago’ and also, posted other related videos in the thread.
So, when searched with the keywords, news reports in 2016 regarding the transfer of three elephants belonging to ‘Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam’, for rehabilitation were found. In the ‘Deccan Chronicle’ article, it can be read that ‘Tree foundation’ will facilitate medical aid for three months. The article also mentions the incident in the video – ‘Sandhya jumped off the truck and is currently sheltered at a nearby village to join the other two animals at Marakkanam’ (Sandhya is the name of the elephant). In the article, it can also be read that ‘tension prevailed at the temple as the mahouts families objected the move alleging “foul play.” But members of the foundation said the ‘drama’ was because they had lost their livelihood from seeking alms through animals’.
Also, some news reports regarding the Madras High Court order of transferring those three elephants from the facility of private institutions (‘Tree Foundation India’ and ‘Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation Centre’) to an elephant rescue and rehabilitation centre run by the forest department in 2019 were found. Without going into much details of the judgement, it can be observed that there is no mention of PETA anywhere in the judgement. Also, in the judgement, a letter is enclosed where the ‘Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam’ have themselves requested permission from the forest authorities for the transfer of elephants for a temporary period as they do not have the infrastructure for the rehabilitation of elephants.
In the judgement, there is also a mention of the incident in the posted video. The petitioner told the court that ‘Tree Foundation India’ and ‘Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation Centre’ took delivery of the elephants from the ‘Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam’ and loaded them in lorries and in that process, one of the elephants, namely “Sandhya” sustained injuries. So, PETA has nothing to do with the incident in the posted video.
Some photos of three elephants during their stay with ‘TREE Foundation India’ can be seen here.
A similar claim regarding PETA was made by a user on Twitter with respect to Lakshmi, an elephant belonging to Manakkula Vinayagar temple. ‘PETA India’ has replied to the tweet saying that they did not move Lakshmi but will say she and all animals deserve to live unchained and in the company of others of their species. While it is true that PETA India has previously requested the officials to free Lakshmi and continues to do so, it can be read from multiple news reports that the elephant was ‘shifted to the premises of Kirshi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) at Kurumambet from the premises of Eswaran Koil temple, on orders issued by the Directorate of Forests and Wildlife on June 4, following concerns over its health. The Directorate had acted on a complaint from BJP Lok Sabha member Maneka Gandhi to Lt Governor Kiran Bedi alleging repeated abuse and violations of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.’ Later, the elephant has been returned to the temple. Further details can be read here.
To sum it up, the video of Kanchi Mutt elephant has nothing to do with PETA. In the second incident, while PETA did not take away the elephant, it actively advocates freeing the elephant.
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