India to get its first elephant sanctuary

India's first elephant sanctuary would soon come up in a fenced forested space near Bengaluru, a rights group said Thursday.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Bannerghatta Biological Park, Karnataka, have teamed up to create the 49.5-hectare sanctuary using the solar electric fence.

The vast expanse of the sanctuary within the Biological Park will allow the elephants to move about freely, bathe in ponds, and socialise without being restricted by chains, said a statement by PETA.