Elephant Spa Day Retreat !!!
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-47238540
India is a fun and culturally diverse are known for many things! One of which includes the wildlife and more specifically--elephants. 😍
India is home to over 27,000 elephants and roughly 2,500 of them are kept in captivity. Local activist throughout the (impressively large) country finally made headway in their fight for better treatment of captive elephants and after thousands of cases reporting elephant abuse broke out...the government stepped in.
As a result, elephants like Akila are brought to a "rejuvenation camp" each year; and, for several weeks, the animals get to relax in a peaceful, six-acre clearing in a forest away from the lime-light.
The camps are referred to as part of an animal welfare initiation program and a costly one, but supporters say that it's worth it.
While on vacation, the elephants are bathed twice a day and fed a nutritious diet. It is also known that the elephants will befriend other elephants from different temples and get excited when the time comes to reunite. However, these retreats are not all sugar and rainbows.
Unfortunately, the conditions of the retreat aren't as luxurious. While elephants are pampered and cared for by different people (not their owner) they are stilled held with constraints. They are constantly watched and periodically chained up.
Some activist argue that the elephants simply ought to be left alone:
However, it's safe to say that it's better to walk before you run. Activists are still content with the progress they've made thus far.
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| Akila the elephant and her caretaker on a retreat! |
India is home to over 27,000 elephants and roughly 2,500 of them are kept in captivity. Local activist throughout the (impressively large) country finally made headway in their fight for better treatment of captive elephants and after thousands of cases reporting elephant abuse broke out...the government stepped in.
As a result, elephants like Akila are brought to a "rejuvenation camp" each year; and, for several weeks, the animals get to relax in a peaceful, six-acre clearing in a forest away from the lime-light.
The camps are referred to as part of an animal welfare initiation program and a costly one, but supporters say that it's worth it.
While on vacation, the elephants are bathed twice a day and fed a nutritious diet. It is also known that the elephants will befriend other elephants from different temples and get excited when the time comes to reunite. However, these retreats are not all sugar and rainbows.
Unfortunately, the conditions of the retreat aren't as luxurious. While elephants are pampered and cared for by different people (not their owner) they are stilled held with constraints. They are constantly watched and periodically chained up.
Some activist argue that the elephants simply ought to be left alone:
"Elephants belong in jungles, not temples. A six-week 'rejuvenation camp' is like being let out on parole while being sentenced for life imprisonment," argues Sunish Subramanian, of the Plant and Animals Welfare Society in the western city of Mumbai.
"Even at these camps, the animals are kept in chains and often in unhygienic conditions," he adds. "If you must continue with the tradition, temple elephants should be kept in the camps for most of the year - in much better conditions - and taken to the temples only during festivals."
However, it's safe to say that it's better to walk before you run. Activists are still content with the progress they've made thus far.
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