Elephants are a big part of many large Hindu rituals and ceremonies where they are considered to be sacred animals. This does not always work out so well for the elephants themselves though. They are often forced to endure long hours standing still, often in blazing heat under elaborate and uncomfortable costumes and surrounded by large, noisy crowds and the sound of bursting firecrackers and beating drums. (Not to mention the torturously cruel practice of breaking their spirits as young elephants, removed from their families.) Animal advocates have long been seeking relief for these magnificent beasts, and PeTA India created Raman as a realistic stand-in at Shree Krishna Temple in Kerala state. Raman can wag his ears and tail, move his head, raise his trunk and move on wheels through a parade. So far, he has been welcomed warmly by the celebrants in temple. The goal is to get a lot more elephants like Raman into temples across India and allow actual elephants to live their lives out of captivity.
Our source is a story in the South China Morning Post:
Our source is a story in the South China Morning Post:
Meme, Elephant,India, Hindu, Temple, Ceremony, Abuse, Robot, Progress, Technology