The controversy arose when the animal rights NGO People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) moved in Bombay High Court seeking for rehabilitation of the elephant which was housed in the Jain Mutt in the village of Nandini in Shirol taluka of Kolhapur district. Nandini is seat of the centuries old Jain Mutt and also is the seat of the Bhattaraka Sri Jinasena Swamiji. Bhattarakhas are religious heads of Digambar Jain institutions and as per the mutt, they have had an elephant for the last 600 years. The elephant, the locals claimed, was a favourite and was essential for religious processions and rites of the Mutt.
On Friday, senior officials of Vantara, a state of the art Animal Rescue Center run by Reliance Industries and Reliance Foundation met the guardian minister of Kolhapur and Maharashtra’s health minister Prakash Abitkar to discuss the possible return of the elephant Mahadevi/Madhuri. This comes even as the controversy over the elephant took the district by storm with people from the Shirol taluka even porting their JIO mobile connections. A look at the controversy and the possible way forward.
The controversy arose when the animal rights NGO People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) moved in Bombay High Court seeking for rehabilitation of the elephant.
indianexpress.com