Elephants should not be seen as mere business venture: HC

KOCHI: The High Court on Friday said that elephant care should not be seen as a mere business venture. The court directed that proper guidelines should be in place for parading elephants during festivals.

"The number of elephants and their size should be determined based on the size and facilities of the parade ground. An online system be put in place to provide details of elephants, permission for parading, and other related matters," a division bench comprising Justice AK Jayashankar Nambiar and Justice P Gopinath ordered.

The court criticized the owner of an elephant named Mangalamkunnu Uma Maheswaran regarding wounds on the animal's body. The court asked what was meant by "ordinary wounds", which was mentioned in the explanation, and who the veterinarian was who issued the fitness certificate for the elephant.