Neglect and brutal treatment too often beset our temple mascots
Visitors to the famed Krishna temple at Guruvayoor in Kerala
seldom skip visiting the nearby Punnathur Kotta Anathavalam, or
elephant grounds. It is such a stunning experience to see the 57
elephants, ages from six to sixty-five, up close. There is a
saying in India that one never tires of watching three things:
the Moon, the ocean and an elephant. But all is not well in the
lives of these intelligent, sensitive and highly social
creatures. There is another saying in India, "elephant's price,"
meaning "immensely expensive." It's a tribute to the value of an
elephant in the old days when they served as crane, forklift,
tow truck or Sherman Tank, as the occasion required. Even the
temple elephants were kept busy with work in addition to being
available for the religious functions. Their keepers, the
mahouts, were then highly trained and respected. Today many are
not. The result is the elephants now pay the high price of human
neglect. Take the exam