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Dr. J. Jayalalitha, Hon. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu: Don't tear apart Masini, the baby elephant!

Dr. J. Jayalalitha, Hon. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu: Don't tear apart Masini, the baby elephant!

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This petition has been created by Deepa S. and may not represent the views of the Avaaz community.
Deepa S.
started this petition to
Dr. J. Jayalalitha, Hon. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
Dear Dr. J. Jayalalitha, Hon. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,

Vanakkam! It has come to our attention that you are donating baby elephant Masini to Sri Mariamman Temple in Samayapuram. Reference: http://goo.gl/Y4UixX You may be aware, this innocent baby was orphaned at a very young age. She is tender and gentle. She is used to company of the herd of females in Mudumalai that have nurtured her, and she is deeply bonded with this surrogate family. It is sinful to rip her apart from her foster family and doom her into isolation, akin to solitary confinement, and subject this innocent baby to unnecessary torture for the rest of her life.

We appreciate your deep love and compassion for elephants and indeed they are sacred animals, the embodiment of Lord Ganesh. You may be aware that elephants are extremely intelligent and sensitive animals, most importantly they live in tight knit families. This is of particular significance for female elephants that live in herds and just like in human families their priority is protecting the young. But sadly, they’re ripped apart from their families for temple and cultural festivals.

Worse yet, the Samayapuram temple is notorious for elephant abuse. A temple elephant named Mariappan was shackled inside a small concrete cell for more than eight years. A public outcry finally forced the temple authorities to release him to the Annamalai Forest Camp. It was also recorded that the temple was unable to provide him proper care, leaving this majestic animal in sheer desolation. This incident was reported in 2010: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-484922


Scientific research on temple elephants reveal that they suffer from serious health problems like obesity, arthritis on their joints, digestive issues caused by a lack of proper diet, foot rot and deadly diseases. Additionally they also suffer from serious psychological disorders because they are separated from their families and babies. They display psychotic behaviors typical to all captive elephants caused by stress, and lack of physical exercise and emotional bonding.

Given these scientific facts, and your love for elephants, we humbly request of you to not rip apart baby Masini from her foster family. Instead of donating this baby to the Sri Mariamman Temple in Samayapuramon on your birthday please celebrate your deep bond with her by offering your resources and protection, so this sweet baby will not be torn away from her family at Mudumalai. She will surely be tortured in the temple. And this is definitely not what you would want for this innocent baby. You are revered as "Amma" of the state. We believe you know how a mother would feel when her baby is kidnapped. We pray that you use your power and influence to end the suffering of elephants in captivity by setting a shining example.

Thank you! Mikka Nandri!
Posted (Updated )