Animal buffs want to check competitions involving jumbos

Animal rights campaigners in Kerala have demanded stern action against organising competitions involving elephants illegally.
Though conducting such events are unlawful as per the Wild Life Protection Act 1972, they are rampant in and across the state, Heritage Animal Task Force, a Thrissur-based animal rights group, said.
The latest such incident was conducting of a tele-voting competition by a Thrissur-based private club to choose the best captive elephant, the Task Force said in a statement here today.
"The Wild Life Protection Act 1972 specifically states that it is unlawful to conduct competitions involving any wild or scheduled animal kept in captivity. But a club based in Poonkunnam in Thrissur is now conducting a tele-voting competition to choose best captive elephant through voting in social media," it said.

The organisers of the competitions violate this main stipulation and instigate the public, use the social media to choose the best captive elephant in the state, it said.
The criteria to choose the best elephant also does not consider any provisions of Wild Life Protection Act 1972, it said.
Citing these issues,the Task Force recently wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding penal action against the "group of people who induce the general public to vote for choosing the best captive elephant through social media", the release added.