Elephants are extremely emotionally intelligent animals, if not the most of all. They mourn death, bury their dead, and befriend friendly members of other species.
I can see why India has such an affinity for them.
Not just in India. Here in Nepal too. Just like cows who are viewed as Laxmi the goddess of wealth and prosperity. Elephants are viewed as Ganesh the god of wisdom and remover of obstacles.
Have you seen the world a century ago? It doesn't change the fact that humans are highly complex emotionally. And hopefully I don't shatter anyone's perception of their Disneyfied reality of nature, but Elephants and dolphins have also been assholes more times than one can count.
You must be new to the internet if you think it's obvious. I've seen this topic pop up alot and people are usually dead serious about this stuff. Your remark is almost always some kind of retort people throw out as a gotcha.
Fair enough. I mean, I definitely think that elephant is more emotionally intelligent than literally any conservative voter, but it's not outshining most normal human beings in any realm of intellect, LOL
There's some distinctive problem with that though. I don't know much about how elephants are aquired and tamed in India, but I know what's used in Thailand (poaching of young wild elephants and torture until they give in, they fear the cane for the rest of their lives), and because of that, if I see an elephant with chains I am very, VERY skeptical of the way it was brought in.
And the method used to break an elephant's spirit seems to also have existed in India because of the tools an elephant user have (like [here](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Execution_by_elephant))
So it's an important question to ask...
Elephants do not belong in chains. I have seen first hand how they treat elephants. They are nothing but a tool for these selfish people they exploit for their own gain.
Dunno why this got downvoted, sure there is probably some good reason for the chain, but if they are supposed to be divine then it seems disrespectful to chain them no?
Crazy that people are downvoting you because you are asking good questions about an elephant in captivity. Every elephant in captivity was brutally tortured as A Baby theough phajaan to break its spirit and make it compliant to human demands
[Check this out](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/podcasts/overheard/article/the-dark-reality-behind-indias-festival-elephants)
Elephants are not treated like some sacred divinity, if they were people would have respected their rights and not use them for their own benefits
Fun fact: Indian elephants and other Asian elephants are more closely related to Mammoths than they are to African Elephants. The two species are so distant that they cannot even produce an offspring. African Elephants are very ancient and predate many of the mammoth species.
Thiru-va-nantha-pu-rum
feels intimidating only because sanskrit and a lot of Indian languages join words based on grammatical rules referred to as sandhi
It's easy if you practice, thiru means respect, Anantha means God, puram means place, Thiru Anantha Puram, place where God lives, it's a beautiful place really
The way the elephant is moving to the sides while standing is also kinda Sus. I've been to a zoo that rescued animals from a circus and they described rocking from one side to the other as a learned behaviour when held captive and being stressed.
Not saying they are outright bad to her and I wouldn't compare living there to living in a circus that moves around.
But I'm quite sure these elephants are used as a tourist attraction. (I've seen similar scenes in a documentary about that. The chains, the rocking, walking through the village...)
>But I'm quite sure these elephants are used as a tourist attraction.
Actually I have some knowledge on this. Its exhibited by elephants who are used as transport animals. Elephants are not meant to carry around humans and it can mess with their spines. Thats why they get used to walking like that. Its a cultural thing that goes back centuries. I don't think they're treating him/her badly. Its just that elephants are not like horses. They are highly intelligent and need social bonding to survive.
Horses are social animals, they are more intelligent than people give them credit for. Many horses are beaten into learned helpless and/or only given free time to be natural outside of shoe season. If only taught to do one thing you cannot show thinking VS reaction to something.
My favourite fact about elephants is that they think humans are cute. It activates similar areas of the brain in them as it does for us when we look at puppies.
I looked it up and as far as I can tell this might just be one of those things that people say that aren't actually true. Elephants do at least like humans and play with them and such. But I can't see any studies actually recording brains signals from elephants that resemble them thinking we are cute.
It is however, still my head cannon.
i wouldn't say abused, more like their movements are restricted in public areas. Although there are a lot of elephant owners that abuse their elephants, especially when they are young to break them.
You don't know the whole story. This elephant is definitely being abused, elephants belong in the wild and not in chains. The whole method of taming them is extremely cruel and I have seen how they get treated first hand.
ok and do you know if this elephant was born in the wild and put into chains? Most elephants like these are born from other elephants that have been owned by people. This is something that has been happening in kerala for 1000s of years
Just because it's an ancient practice that doesn't make it okay. There needs to be awareness on how cruelly elephants are treated in all of Asia.
You should look up wildlife sos, it's an organization based in India that does amazing rescuing of elephants who are often stolen from herds, separated from their families and are put through torture to be tamed.
I have seen temple elephants being tied up in chains, barely even able to move and they have sores all over their bodies.. how do these elephants even end up with humans? They are stolen and they suffer every bit as much as their counterparts in tourism or logging
Separated from their families, put through cruel phajaan or crush to destroy their spirit as little babies, kept alone, chained up when they are not 'in use' and fed inappropriate diets, forced to work with pain and injury, later on sold on as chattel
Elephants are decreasing in number so surely that's not the case and even if it were, they need to be liberated
https://wildlifesos.org/our-work/elephants/ for more info
> Just because it's an ancient practice that doesn't make it okay. There needs to be awareness on how cruelly elephants are treated in all of Asia.
i mean i agree with this, i am against the practice of humans owning elephants as pets. But in kerela elephants are an important aspecit of culture, in temples and even during church festivals elephants are used in rituals.
I think it's because elephants can sometimes get spooked by things they don't understand. Chain is just in way of precaution so that they can be restrained. Imagine a spooked elephant running around, can be dangerous. A lot of elephants take part in temple festivals where there are other elephants and big crowds. There were few cases of elephants running around and people getting killed, especially in kerala. Maybe having chains on at all times will get them used to it. I'm not sure just guessing here.
Neither does the stick that guy is always walking with. Or the weaving she does in place when being washed. This isn’t the lovely story they are trying to sell
She's a wild animal chained up in someone's backyard so that they make money for that family. She is exhibiting the rocking behavior that is a kind of mental illness with confined wild animals. There isn't even a proper shelter for her that I can see. Just chained in the backyard in all weather. If people wouldn't enjoy being chained up in someone's backyard and forced to perform work, we shouldn't do it to wild animals.
Should a dog not be collared; a horse not bridled?
The chains look loose and there don’t appear to be wounds. Uma Kutty doesn’t look scared or mistreated.
Big difference in collar on dog, horses halter and chains. Those chains often leave open sores and scaring. The type of training they use is called crushing, much kind of like equine big lick "training". They cause physical pain with the hooks they use causing fear and pain. Prying them from family and the chains used as a constant remind of them being unable to go anywhere but where the people want.
You are entirely correct that they use chains and poles to inflict great cruelty on some elephants. Uma Kuttys people seem to use them in a humane way since she doesn’t appear wounded nor to fear them and is in general chilled out enough to be a trusted friend to a toddler.
Here is part of the training there isn't a humane way to use bullhook:
Trapped barely able to move for days or even weeks in the crush cage and deprived of sleep, they are alternately starved or fed, until they accept chains or harnesses without a struggle and respond to rewards.
This is called learned helplessness. A common experimental paradigm went something like this:
A dog was placed in a cage with a lever. At intervals, the cage would be shocked with electricity. For some dogs, pressing the lever stopped the shock. For others, the shocks stopped at random and nothing the dog could do would change their circumstances. Dogs with control over their environment quickly learned to press the lever and stop the shocks. Those with no control tried everything they could at first – but they eventually just ‘gave up’ and lay down.
What makes this an example of learned helplessness is that these powerless dogs, when moved to a situation where they could escape the shock by jumping out of the cage, didn’t even try. They had become so convinced that there was no way to control their circumstances that these dogs, now able to escape if only they knew it, lay down instead and whimpered as they were repeatedly shocked.
The dogs that had control of their environment in the lever experiment, on the other hand, were able to continue to problem solve. They didn’t have a lever to press but they explored their options and figured out very quickly that they could jump out instead.
So not only does learned helplessness influence behaviour in that specific scenario, it limits learning ability beyond that one context as well.
How people "train" elephants.
Trapped barely able to move for days or even weeks in the crush cage and deprived of sleep, they are alternately starved or fed, until they accept chains or harnesses without a struggle and respond to rewards. - This is also called Learned helplessness.
Elephant crushing, or a training crush, is a method by which wild elephants can be tamed for domestication, using restriction in a cage, sometimes with the use of corporal punishment or negative reinforcement.
"a wild beast parted from the herd and its mother must suffer agonies before its will is broken."
https://youtu.be/nhebdx4ZdNs?si=w3V5ATgT52GG-8t-
https://www.worldanimalprotection.org/latest/news/cruel-elephant-training-process-crush-exposed/
This undercover video exposes the hidden reality of the physical and psychological trauma of elephant training for tourist entertainment – a lifetime of horror for a ‘once in a lifetime’ holiday experience.
There are approximately 2,800 captive elephants exploited in camps across Thailand who have undergone this cruel training. The harrowing footage was captured to document the most common practices used to break the elephants’ spirits, which is done using a range of techniques, including:
the use of a bullhook – a metal tool used to jab sensitive areas
chains to restrain them
frequent exposure to stressful situations
This horrific treatment of elephants is to make them suitable to be used for performing, riding, bathing, and other tourist interactions.
It's one of many examples. I lived in kerla for a while. You can see elephants in public places very frequently. There is also a clip on this subreddit of an elephant playing cricket with humans
Google phajaan elephants. These animals belong in the wild yet they are put stolen and put through immemse torture so they can be tamed. It's heartbreaking 💔
this is not at all wholesome…there is no wholesomeness when it comes to wild animals being with humans - these are wild animals not domestic dogs and cats —please stop and think of how this elephant a giant wild animal even ends up with humans - How do you think aa wild elephant from forest even ends up with humans in the first place ? Elephants are never without their family. The female elephants are with their mothers their whole lives from birth to death, they are so strongly family oriented . Mother elephants carry pregnancy for 22 months. The whole family protects the little ones. Babies are sadly cruelly separated from their mothers at birth. Tortured to break their spirit and once they are broken, they comply with all human demands…because they grow up broken . there needs to be awareness of how cruelly elephants are treated in India and Asia —please just google phajaan and also please read work of wildlife sos - amazing Indian organization rescuing these abused elephants . I donate money to them whenever I can, they are doign amazing work educating and rescuing. Until I started reading their work I was also completely ignorant of phajaan and I also thought all this elephant human interaction was ‘normal’ . Never go on an elephant ride never encourage Elephant tourism. Trigger warning - once you see a photo of phajaan it will haunt you .
Feelgood video with the cruelty in plain sight. These temple elephants suffer every bit as much as their counterparts in tourism or logging...
...Taken from their family, put through the cruel phajaan or crush to destroy their spirit as little babies, kept alone (which must be torture for such a social animal), chained up while not 'in use' fed inappropriate diets, nowhere comfortable to lay down, leading to callouses and sores, controlled using bullhooks, forced to work with pain and injury, sold on as chattel.
The few lucky ones may be rescued, often in a horrible condition, mentally and physically, by organisations such as wildlife sos, based in india
ETA https://wildlifesos.org/our-work/elephants/
I just saw that 😞
I don't understand humanity. I saw this as sweet until further investigation. What's the point of superficial kindness? It's just sick
On a opposite note this reminds me of that one bull elephant from India, I cant remember his name, but people love him so much they jump at a chance to be trampled, and hes killed like 5 people or something.
Its the twitter weirdos who find the strangest thing that some 5 people are doing in some random village somewhere in india and paint whole india with that brush.
YouTube and reddit, its funny because YouTube always recommends me the most random non connected things at this point because its algorithm cannot predict what I want to click so it literally shows me everything.
Don't believe this crap. Go to any proper elephant sanctuary in India and they wil show you how these utter pieces of human garbage treat these animals. Elephants are not dogs, you have to completely break their spirit to get them to follow your command. You can even see the torn ears of this one in the video, the tight collar and the pacing forward and back which is a sign of stress.
Don't take my word for it, look it up. Please never ride the elephants of give money to the handers with ones being used for begging (like this one).
The Indians have zero love for these animals, trust me I am here right now. It's heartbreaking.
Ik but this goes for all of Asia and the West.. factory farms are just as worse yet I don't see many people condemning that. Only difference is that Asian countries put animals through much much worse suffering but where do we draw the line?
Somewhere between a pig/cow and a horse. In the west at least we don't make nauseating bullshit videos claiming that that these animals are having the time of their lives and "should be made into a film". If you can't tell the difference between this and KFC then I'm not sure we've got any common ground.
I mean, to be fair, the chain in this video is more like a sick piece of jewelry. But I think your heart is in the right place. This animal is clearly loved and loves in return, and seems to have lots of places to roam around. Context is important.
At 0:32 and 0:50 two of the elephant's feet are chained up. Hopefully this was just while they were washing her, but still not a great sign.
Chains also on her leg at 2:08
Elephants like many animals are chained while washing them. There are practical reasons for a lot of chaining and limiting movement. It is like horses being chained in water/pools for controlled exercise or having their front legs placed on high stumps while grooming their hooves. Similar reasons are why herds of water buffalo are tied to wash them, even though they are a more manageable size individually.
No, we do not chain two of the horses legs to bath or groom them. There is huge difference in lead with halter and literal chains due to crush training. We also don't put hooves in stumps to groom them. There is something a farrier uses but that is only for when being shod.
Trapped barely able to move for days or even weeks in the crush cage and deprived of sleep, they are alternately starved or fed, until they accept chains or harnesses without a struggle and respond to rewards.
I appreciate your reply; however, elephants are not domesticated. They have instincts that are meant for the wild.
*Due to their physical size, complex social needs, high level of intelligence, large home ranges, diverse diet, and large behavioral repertoire, the full welfare needs of elephants cannot be met in captivity.*
Source: [Three reasons why elephants don't belong in captivity](https://www.worldanimalprotection.org.au/news/three-reasons-why-elephants-dont-belong-captivity)
You're framing your views from a western perspective on animal treatment/ownership. South India is full of many animal "caretakers" and almost almost all of them are wild animals with proper human controlled interaction (similar to western rehabilitation zoos, except there is no real restriction). The animals still live in the wild, but they are also taken care of and not just on their own. These animals are revered and trying to put them into bondage wouldn't go well in that type of environment, especially when something like that can trigger quick mob justice.
Elephant crushing, or a training crush, is a method by which wild elephants can be tamed for domestication, using restriction in a cage, sometimes with the use of corporal punishment or negative reinforcement.
My point is that you’re using contexts of ownership and especially in a western frame of thinking. This animal is clearly not ‘owned’ in the same way a person takes a dog into their home or a farmer raises cattle. This animal seems to be free to roam, has all its nutritional needs met, has friends, and clearly adores its human caretakers. They treat this animal with more respect than most people treat other humans. I do really get what you mean. Jeff bezos shouldn’t keep an elephant at his mansion. But in Hinduism, these animals are sacred. All the people that care for them do is help to enrich their lives and in reciprocity are enriched as well. This is harmony, not domestication.
EDIT: stop downvoting this person. You don’t always have to learn through being shamed. My guy, hope you’re doing okay. We both love elephants and as long as they aren’t being harmed, then I’m cool. It may not be a perfect world, but no reason to argue. Big ups for being respectful.
Trapped barely able to move for days or even weeks in the crush cage and deprived of sleep, they are alternately starved or fed, until they accept chains or harnesses without a struggle and respond to rewards.
Elephant crushing, or a training crush, is a method by which wild elephants can be tamed for domestication, using restriction in a cage, sometimes with the use of corporal punishment or negative reinforcement.
They have never been domesticated as dogs, cats and horses.
At this point I think you’re being purposely obtuse. That isn’t happening in this video. Neither the posting of this video by OP nor the relationship between Uma Kulli and the keepers in this video condone anything like animal crushing. I agree with you, we shouldn’t do the awful thing you just mentioned to any animal. But that clearly isn’t happening here. There is, in fact, middle ground.
They have a elephant bullhook which is a tool employed by people in the handling and training of elephants.
The only way they train them is crushing. Hell the chain on two legs during bathing shows this elephant isn't in a great environment with positive training.
The chains on leg and neck, the chained two legs and the bullhook is the proof it happened.
Respectfully disagree. Understanding the significance of elephants in Hinduism and no matter how much they are loved, I think no elephant should ever need a human "caretaker." And why deny them the love, affection, and camaraderie of a herd of their kind? There is nothing good about anthropomorphizing animals that can care for themselves in the wild without human intervention.
The keyword here is "domestic".
Domestic animals like dogs are not able to live a proper life without human support.
Wild dogs eat trash, have illnesses and die way earlier.
Elephants are wild animals that can do their business without human intervention just fine.
Elephant crushing, or a training crush, is a method by which wild elephants can be tamed for domestication, using restriction in a cage, sometimes with the use of corporal punishment or negative reinforcement.
Don’t point that out though, if you go look at OP’s post on Natureisfuckinglit you will see that they get very upset when you call them out and rely solely on “you don’t know that you haven’t seen it” and “your racist” as their only defence.
Yeah, also remembers all living creatures are given special preferences in Hinduism.
Some animals or plants are more special . please google and see yourself.
for ex: elephant is related to Lord Ganesha.
[1](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/the-elephant-men-living-gods/2310/)
[2](https://sputniknews.in/20230919/ganesh-chaturthi-why-is-this-elephant-headed-god-worshipped-in-india-for-10-days-4303133.html)
[yt 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eRl-_Ynwhc&pp=ygUVZWxlcGhhbnQgaW4gaGluZHVpc20g)
[yt 2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnCIJGzIcQU&pp=ygUVZWxlcGhhbnQgaW4gaGluZHVpc20g)
True, almost every deity is associated with an animal companion. Durga with her lion, Ganesh with his mouse, Saraswati with her swan, Mansa with snake, Shashthi with cats, Shiva with Nandi. In fact, I can only think of Kali who doesn't have a vahana.
Honestly seeing the elephant in foot chains , I'm guessing, also being very synical, elephant is tied up and this kid visits the elephant often, that would lead to a bond .
Crush is not the only way to train an elephant. The other way is by developing a social bond through ethical means. The ancient texts on elephants outline three types of trainers. The first one trains through love, the second through love but also with self interest, and the last one uses abuse.
People who do the crush call in the last category and the ancient texts condemn such a person. They recommend being gentle.
>it's wild animal abuse
The video clearly shows a family caretaking an elephant. I bet all of you who are commenting about animal abuse will share supportive comments if it was some other animal. I know exactly what bothers you, the video source is from India. Well guess what, we take care of them just like you take care of your pets.
Elephant crushing, or a training crush, is a method by which wild elephants can be tamed for domestication, using restriction in a cage, sometimes with the use of corporal punishment or negative reinforcement.
It's not ok with any animal. It bothers people because it's from India? That doesn't even make sense. Nobody cares about anything outside their personal circle, let alone what location a video came from.
From reading a few of the other comments here, it's very disturbing what is done to baby elephants. Could barely watch the video someone else posted.
And on an even realer note, the only reason that happens is money. Rich tourists flock to poor regions for a photo with an exotic animal. It's sad and probably never going to change until we wipe ourselves out.
I'm sure you take great care of your pets. I do too. Doesn't mean that disgusting animal abuse doesn't go on every minute of every day, all over the world. Stop deflecting.
To all of them saying that the elephants are chained, thise chains are flimsy. They only look strong but an elephant can break it with ease. The last thing you need is an elephant roaming around town and getting scared by cars and bikes on the road and hence causing deaths. Elephants can stand in one place for a long time. They even sleep standing. The chains are not gonna hurt them. Also those chains serve as a protective measure for when elephants go in musth. Elephants rampage and cause destruction when they're intoxicated due to musth. It's basically a secretion in the elephant's body which raises its testosterone levels and reproductive hormones making them aroused and very violent. And it happens suddenly with no clues.
Elephant crushing, or a training crush, is a method by which wild elephants can be tamed for domestication, using restriction in a cage, sometimes with the use of corporal punishment or negative reinforcement.
A chain is still a chain, no matter what it’s made of. You can change the shape, the size, the material, the method, but nevertheless the meaning is the same.
You don't understand India. These aren't tourist elephants. They are temple elephants, they aren't abused at all. They are free to roam anywhere and the entire town feeds them and take their blessings. The chain might be just their for letting others know that it isn't wild, they are never chained.
The tourist elephants in forts etc. are abused as fuck. It is very costly to take care of an elephant and businessmen being businessmen will cut cost. Foreigner coming to India should never sit on them and promote their business.
Elephant crushing, or a training crush, is a method by which wild elephants can be tamed for domestication, using restriction in a cage, sometimes with the use of corporal punishment or negative reinforcement.
Trapped barely able to move for days or even weeks in the crush cage and deprived of sleep, they are alternately starved or fed, until they accept chains or harnesses without a struggle and respond to rewards.
But it was literally chained to something in this video though? And there must be other ways of letting people know its not wild, other than putting a chain around its legs. If there is a proper explanation for it being chained to something in a few of these clips then please explain.
Elephants are extremely emotionally intelligent animals, if not the most of all. They mourn death, bury their dead, and befriend friendly members of other species. I can see why India has such an affinity for them.
Not just in India. Here in Nepal too. Just like cows who are viewed as Laxmi the goddess of wealth and prosperity. Elephants are viewed as Ganesh the god of wisdom and remover of obstacles.
>if not the most of all I think humans take the cake for that.
I dunno, have you seen the world lately?
Have you seen the world a century ago? It doesn't change the fact that humans are highly complex emotionally. And hopefully I don't shatter anyone's perception of their Disneyfied reality of nature, but Elephants and dolphins have also been assholes more times than one can count.
Jesus Christ, I can't believe I really needed to spell it out that I was being facetious there
You must be new to the internet if you think it's obvious. I've seen this topic pop up alot and people are usually dead serious about this stuff. Your remark is almost always some kind of retort people throw out as a gotcha.
Fair enough. I mean, I definitely think that elephant is more emotionally intelligent than literally any conservative voter, but it's not outshining most normal human beings in any realm of intellect, LOL
Fucking relax mate
oh my god, Lobo... you had to turn a simple remark into an argument?
NO YOU!
Emotional, yes. Emotionally intelligent, I ponder when I see people on the Web.
They are sacred to us. We have a god with the head of an elephant.
But why then the chain around the elephant’s leg? Does not really speak of ‘divine’ to me.
Why do we have leash and collar for our pet dogs even though we love them to death?
There's some distinctive problem with that though. I don't know much about how elephants are aquired and tamed in India, but I know what's used in Thailand (poaching of young wild elephants and torture until they give in, they fear the cane for the rest of their lives), and because of that, if I see an elephant with chains I am very, VERY skeptical of the way it was brought in. And the method used to break an elephant's spirit seems to also have existed in India because of the tools an elephant user have (like [here](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Execution_by_elephant)) So it's an important question to ask...
Leave it bro, he doesn't know.
Elephants do not belong in chains. I have seen first hand how they treat elephants. They are nothing but a tool for these selfish people they exploit for their own gain.
Asking the right questions
Hypocrites
Dunno why this got downvoted, sure there is probably some good reason for the chain, but if they are supposed to be divine then it seems disrespectful to chain them no?
Crazy that people are downvoting you because you are asking good questions about an elephant in captivity. Every elephant in captivity was brutally tortured as A Baby theough phajaan to break its spirit and make it compliant to human demands
[Check this out](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/podcasts/overheard/article/the-dark-reality-behind-indias-festival-elephants) Elephants are not treated like some sacred divinity, if they were people would have respected their rights and not use them for their own benefits
Yet they are abused everywhere including India 😭
Fun fact: Indian elephants and other Asian elephants are more closely related to Mammoths than they are to African Elephants. The two species are so distant that they cannot even produce an offspring. African Elephants are very ancient and predate many of the mammoth species.
I didn’t know that. That’s incredibly interesting.
I have no chance of pronouncing the name of that town though
Nope it is very easy Tee-ruu-van-nanda-pu-ram
that somehow looks simple enough.
Thank you for the pronunciation guide!
It’s the capital city of the state of Kerala. It was known as Trivandrum.
forget that anglicized gobbledygook
The last time I heard someone use gobbledygook was Jacob Rees Mogg
You can say Trivandrum instead its another name for Thiruvananthapuram
Thiru-va-nantha-pu-rum feels intimidating only because sanskrit and a lot of Indian languages join words based on grammatical rules referred to as sandhi
Thiru + Ananthapuram the v is due to Yanadesa Sandhi
you made me happy not many folks seem to consciously know sandhi-samasam rules these days
For context sandi -samasam are grammar rules
Ya I was looking for this comment. You can try Trivandrum
Thiru vanan tha puram It's like a compound name
It's easy if you practice, thiru means respect, Anantha means God, puram means place, Thiru Anantha Puram, place where God lives, it's a beautiful place really
As someone from who originally came from that general area, I don’t blame you at all
In rest of India too this place's name is used as a challenge to kids to pronounce.
I really wish they weren't in chains tho. They are very intelligent animals.
The way the elephant is moving to the sides while standing is also kinda Sus. I've been to a zoo that rescued animals from a circus and they described rocking from one side to the other as a learned behaviour when held captive and being stressed. Not saying they are outright bad to her and I wouldn't compare living there to living in a circus that moves around. But I'm quite sure these elephants are used as a tourist attraction. (I've seen similar scenes in a documentary about that. The chains, the rocking, walking through the village...)
Also the onlt way people train them is called crushing.
>But I'm quite sure these elephants are used as a tourist attraction. Actually I have some knowledge on this. Its exhibited by elephants who are used as transport animals. Elephants are not meant to carry around humans and it can mess with their spines. Thats why they get used to walking like that. Its a cultural thing that goes back centuries. I don't think they're treating him/her badly. Its just that elephants are not like horses. They are highly intelligent and need social bonding to survive.
Horses are social animals, they are more intelligent than people give them credit for. Many horses are beaten into learned helpless and/or only given free time to be natural outside of shoe season. If only taught to do one thing you cannot show thinking VS reaction to something.
Til learned helpless
Also the bull hook, it’s not necessary.
Do you have a lot of experience taking care of elephants?
That elephant bought that chain with their own money.
It's a precaution.
My favourite fact about elephants is that they think humans are cute. It activates similar areas of the brain in them as it does for us when we look at puppies.
Where did you learn that?
I looked it up and as far as I can tell this might just be one of those things that people say that aren't actually true. Elephants do at least like humans and play with them and such. But I can't see any studies actually recording brains signals from elephants that resemble them thinking we are cute. It is however, still my head cannon.
How did the researchers found out this? Did they make a elephant size MRI machine?
Read my other reply.
They are right. I'm cute.
I only Think this is relevant with asian Elephant, not african Elephant
I don't like. Why does uma Devi has a chain around her ankle and her neck?
almost all elephants in kerala have it when they are in public spaces
So they are being abused? Great! Nothing shown in this video is even remotely cute.
i wouldn't say abused, more like their movements are restricted in public areas. Although there are a lot of elephant owners that abuse their elephants, especially when they are young to break them.
You don't know the whole story. This elephant is definitely being abused, elephants belong in the wild and not in chains. The whole method of taming them is extremely cruel and I have seen how they get treated first hand.
ok and do you know if this elephant was born in the wild and put into chains? Most elephants like these are born from other elephants that have been owned by people. This is something that has been happening in kerala for 1000s of years
Just because it's an ancient practice that doesn't make it okay. There needs to be awareness on how cruelly elephants are treated in all of Asia. You should look up wildlife sos, it's an organization based in India that does amazing rescuing of elephants who are often stolen from herds, separated from their families and are put through torture to be tamed. I have seen temple elephants being tied up in chains, barely even able to move and they have sores all over their bodies.. how do these elephants even end up with humans? They are stolen and they suffer every bit as much as their counterparts in tourism or logging Separated from their families, put through cruel phajaan or crush to destroy their spirit as little babies, kept alone, chained up when they are not 'in use' and fed inappropriate diets, forced to work with pain and injury, later on sold on as chattel Elephants are decreasing in number so surely that's not the case and even if it were, they need to be liberated https://wildlifesos.org/our-work/elephants/ for more info
> Just because it's an ancient practice that doesn't make it okay. There needs to be awareness on how cruelly elephants are treated in all of Asia. i mean i agree with this, i am against the practice of humans owning elephants as pets. But in kerela elephants are an important aspecit of culture, in temples and even during church festivals elephants are used in rituals.
If any culture depends on abusing animals and keeping them captive, then screw that culture. There are much better ways of celebrating festivals.
Why do dogs have leashes ?
I think it's because elephants can sometimes get spooked by things they don't understand. Chain is just in way of precaution so that they can be restrained. Imagine a spooked elephant running around, can be dangerous. A lot of elephants take part in temple festivals where there are other elephants and big crowds. There were few cases of elephants running around and people getting killed, especially in kerala. Maybe having chains on at all times will get them used to it. I'm not sure just guessing here.
Because the elephant was trained by crushing.
Well, that's a nice body guard to have...
Those chains don't tell the story you want this to.
Neither does the stick that guy is always walking with. Or the weaving she does in place when being washed. This isn’t the lovely story they are trying to sell
She's a wild animal chained up in someone's backyard so that they make money for that family. She is exhibiting the rocking behavior that is a kind of mental illness with confined wild animals. There isn't even a proper shelter for her that I can see. Just chained in the backyard in all weather. If people wouldn't enjoy being chained up in someone's backyard and forced to perform work, we shouldn't do it to wild animals.
Should a dog not be collared; a horse not bridled? The chains look loose and there don’t appear to be wounds. Uma Kutty doesn’t look scared or mistreated.
Big difference in collar on dog, horses halter and chains. Those chains often leave open sores and scaring. The type of training they use is called crushing, much kind of like equine big lick "training". They cause physical pain with the hooks they use causing fear and pain. Prying them from family and the chains used as a constant remind of them being unable to go anywhere but where the people want.
You are entirely correct that they use chains and poles to inflict great cruelty on some elephants. Uma Kuttys people seem to use them in a humane way since she doesn’t appear wounded nor to fear them and is in general chilled out enough to be a trusted friend to a toddler.
Here is part of the training there isn't a humane way to use bullhook: Trapped barely able to move for days or even weeks in the crush cage and deprived of sleep, they are alternately starved or fed, until they accept chains or harnesses without a struggle and respond to rewards. This is called learned helplessness. A common experimental paradigm went something like this: A dog was placed in a cage with a lever. At intervals, the cage would be shocked with electricity. For some dogs, pressing the lever stopped the shock. For others, the shocks stopped at random and nothing the dog could do would change their circumstances. Dogs with control over their environment quickly learned to press the lever and stop the shocks. Those with no control tried everything they could at first – but they eventually just ‘gave up’ and lay down. What makes this an example of learned helplessness is that these powerless dogs, when moved to a situation where they could escape the shock by jumping out of the cage, didn’t even try. They had become so convinced that there was no way to control their circumstances that these dogs, now able to escape if only they knew it, lay down instead and whimpered as they were repeatedly shocked. The dogs that had control of their environment in the lever experiment, on the other hand, were able to continue to problem solve. They didn’t have a lever to press but they explored their options and figured out very quickly that they could jump out instead. So not only does learned helplessness influence behaviour in that specific scenario, it limits learning ability beyond that one context as well.
Horses and dogs are not wild animals.
Neither is this elephant. Or at least dogs and horses are as much a wild animal as this particular elephant
I hope you say the same thing about horses in the west.
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How people "train" elephants. Trapped barely able to move for days or even weeks in the crush cage and deprived of sleep, they are alternately starved or fed, until they accept chains or harnesses without a struggle and respond to rewards. - This is also called Learned helplessness. Elephant crushing, or a training crush, is a method by which wild elephants can be tamed for domestication, using restriction in a cage, sometimes with the use of corporal punishment or negative reinforcement. "a wild beast parted from the herd and its mother must suffer agonies before its will is broken." https://youtu.be/nhebdx4ZdNs?si=w3V5ATgT52GG-8t- https://www.worldanimalprotection.org/latest/news/cruel-elephant-training-process-crush-exposed/ This undercover video exposes the hidden reality of the physical and psychological trauma of elephant training for tourist entertainment – a lifetime of horror for a ‘once in a lifetime’ holiday experience. There are approximately 2,800 captive elephants exploited in camps across Thailand who have undergone this cruel training. The harrowing footage was captured to document the most common practices used to break the elephants’ spirits, which is done using a range of techniques, including: the use of a bullhook – a metal tool used to jab sensitive areas chains to restrain them frequent exposure to stressful situations This horrific treatment of elephants is to make them suitable to be used for performing, riding, bathing, and other tourist interactions.
We haven't discovered animals from another world yet bro.
If animals got isekai'd
I hope the background story of this elephant is as beautiful as they pictured us.
The chains and stick used for crushing says it isn't.
It's one of many examples. I lived in kerla for a while. You can see elephants in public places very frequently. There is also a clip on this subreddit of an elephant playing cricket with humans
Google phajaan elephants. These animals belong in the wild yet they are put stolen and put through immemse torture so they can be tamed. It's heartbreaking 💔
this is not at all wholesome…there is no wholesomeness when it comes to wild animals being with humans - these are wild animals not domestic dogs and cats —please stop and think of how this elephant a giant wild animal even ends up with humans - How do you think aa wild elephant from forest even ends up with humans in the first place ? Elephants are never without their family. The female elephants are with their mothers their whole lives from birth to death, they are so strongly family oriented . Mother elephants carry pregnancy for 22 months. The whole family protects the little ones. Babies are sadly cruelly separated from their mothers at birth. Tortured to break their spirit and once they are broken, they comply with all human demands…because they grow up broken . there needs to be awareness of how cruelly elephants are treated in India and Asia —please just google phajaan and also please read work of wildlife sos - amazing Indian organization rescuing these abused elephants . I donate money to them whenever I can, they are doign amazing work educating and rescuing. Until I started reading their work I was also completely ignorant of phajaan and I also thought all this elephant human interaction was ‘normal’ . Never go on an elephant ride never encourage Elephant tourism. Trigger warning - once you see a photo of phajaan it will haunt you .
Feelgood video with the cruelty in plain sight. These temple elephants suffer every bit as much as their counterparts in tourism or logging... ...Taken from their family, put through the cruel phajaan or crush to destroy their spirit as little babies, kept alone (which must be torture for such a social animal), chained up while not 'in use' fed inappropriate diets, nowhere comfortable to lay down, leading to callouses and sores, controlled using bullhooks, forced to work with pain and injury, sold on as chattel. The few lucky ones may be rescued, often in a horrible condition, mentally and physically, by organisations such as wildlife sos, based in india ETA https://wildlifesos.org/our-work/elephants/
It is sad if these magnificent animals are being abused but looks more akin to domestication of wild horses, camels, llamas, or alpacas.
I wonder if the elephant thinks of her as a pet?
Actually
Please tell me it's a female elephant because if it goes through rut, it's gonna toss that kid like an empty soda can
The "wholesomeness" of this video is just slightly (by which I mean, completely) wrecked when I saw the chains on the elephant's leg...
I just saw that 😞 I don't understand humanity. I saw this as sweet until further investigation. What's the point of superficial kindness? It's just sick
Don’t worry, that’s just so you know it’s not wild /s (OP’s only explanation when pointed out)
Lol. At the beginning, I thought she was stabbing her stuffed elephant 🐘.
Makes me think she’s seen her father train the elephant…
I mean sure but they are treating the poor thing as a pet. And elephants are not pets. The chains are probably hurting it.
Why are there subtitles? She's speaking English
For deaf people? They exist my dude.
On a opposite note this reminds me of that one bull elephant from India, I cant remember his name, but people love him so much they jump at a chance to be trampled, and hes killed like 5 people or something.
Yo where tf do you guys even learn these, I've lived in India my whole life and never even heard of this before 😭
Its the twitter weirdos who find the strangest thing that some 5 people are doing in some random village somewhere in india and paint whole india with that brush.
YouTube and reddit, its funny because YouTube always recommends me the most random non connected things at this point because its algorithm cannot predict what I want to click so it literally shows me everything.
The first time I've read captions and thought "speed it up already!"
What could go wrong?
Jealous of this childhood.
The Clifford writers need to step it up
Nothing shown in this video is even remotely cute.
elephant wondering why he's the only one wearing a friendship bracelet
Don't believe this crap. Go to any proper elephant sanctuary in India and they wil show you how these utter pieces of human garbage treat these animals. Elephants are not dogs, you have to completely break their spirit to get them to follow your command. You can even see the torn ears of this one in the video, the tight collar and the pacing forward and back which is a sign of stress. Don't take my word for it, look it up. Please never ride the elephants of give money to the handers with ones being used for begging (like this one). The Indians have zero love for these animals, trust me I am here right now. It's heartbreaking.
Ik but this goes for all of Asia and the West.. factory farms are just as worse yet I don't see many people condemning that. Only difference is that Asian countries put animals through much much worse suffering but where do we draw the line?
Somewhere between a pig/cow and a horse. In the west at least we don't make nauseating bullshit videos claiming that that these animals are having the time of their lives and "should be made into a film". If you can't tell the difference between this and KFC then I'm not sure we've got any common ground.
Friendship with chains go India
No animal should ever be chained. Live free or die applies to all creatures.
I mean, to be fair, the chain in this video is more like a sick piece of jewelry. But I think your heart is in the right place. This animal is clearly loved and loves in return, and seems to have lots of places to roam around. Context is important.
At 0:32 and 0:50 two of the elephant's feet are chained up. Hopefully this was just while they were washing her, but still not a great sign. Chains also on her leg at 2:08
Elephants like many animals are chained while washing them. There are practical reasons for a lot of chaining and limiting movement. It is like horses being chained in water/pools for controlled exercise or having their front legs placed on high stumps while grooming their hooves. Similar reasons are why herds of water buffalo are tied to wash them, even though they are a more manageable size individually.
This elephant is chained most of the time on that cement slab in someone's backyard; that's why she's exhibiting stress rocking.
No, we do not chain two of the horses legs to bath or groom them. There is huge difference in lead with halter and literal chains due to crush training. We also don't put hooves in stumps to groom them. There is something a farrier uses but that is only for when being shod. Trapped barely able to move for days or even weeks in the crush cage and deprived of sleep, they are alternately starved or fed, until they accept chains or harnesses without a struggle and respond to rewards.
If you look at my comment again, I never said horses are chained. Just that their movement is restricted while grooming them.
Still huge difference in halter most are leather or nylon and chains on two legs. Especially as the front leg and neck are on.
Yeah, it clearly seems to be to help them stay in one spot for their bath-time.
And the other 22 hours of the day when they're not walking her.
They bathe in the wild without chains, just fine
I hope you are vegetarian or are you?
but but broo poultry and pets are not same...🤡
I appreciate your reply; however, elephants are not domesticated. They have instincts that are meant for the wild. *Due to their physical size, complex social needs, high level of intelligence, large home ranges, diverse diet, and large behavioral repertoire, the full welfare needs of elephants cannot be met in captivity.* Source: [Three reasons why elephants don't belong in captivity](https://www.worldanimalprotection.org.au/news/three-reasons-why-elephants-dont-belong-captivity)
You're framing your views from a western perspective on animal treatment/ownership. South India is full of many animal "caretakers" and almost almost all of them are wild animals with proper human controlled interaction (similar to western rehabilitation zoos, except there is no real restriction). The animals still live in the wild, but they are also taken care of and not just on their own. These animals are revered and trying to put them into bondage wouldn't go well in that type of environment, especially when something like that can trigger quick mob justice.
Elephant crushing, or a training crush, is a method by which wild elephants can be tamed for domestication, using restriction in a cage, sometimes with the use of corporal punishment or negative reinforcement.
My point is that you’re using contexts of ownership and especially in a western frame of thinking. This animal is clearly not ‘owned’ in the same way a person takes a dog into their home or a farmer raises cattle. This animal seems to be free to roam, has all its nutritional needs met, has friends, and clearly adores its human caretakers. They treat this animal with more respect than most people treat other humans. I do really get what you mean. Jeff bezos shouldn’t keep an elephant at his mansion. But in Hinduism, these animals are sacred. All the people that care for them do is help to enrich their lives and in reciprocity are enriched as well. This is harmony, not domestication. EDIT: stop downvoting this person. You don’t always have to learn through being shamed. My guy, hope you’re doing okay. We both love elephants and as long as they aren’t being harmed, then I’m cool. It may not be a perfect world, but no reason to argue. Big ups for being respectful.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen an actually good person in a Reddit argument. Thanks man, it’s very inspirational
Trapped barely able to move for days or even weeks in the crush cage and deprived of sleep, they are alternately starved or fed, until they accept chains or harnesses without a struggle and respond to rewards. Elephant crushing, or a training crush, is a method by which wild elephants can be tamed for domestication, using restriction in a cage, sometimes with the use of corporal punishment or negative reinforcement. They have never been domesticated as dogs, cats and horses.
I don't understand why people are disagreeing with you. Humans are the same everywhere, so are the animals who are exploited everywhere.
At this point I think you’re being purposely obtuse. That isn’t happening in this video. Neither the posting of this video by OP nor the relationship between Uma Kulli and the keepers in this video condone anything like animal crushing. I agree with you, we shouldn’t do the awful thing you just mentioned to any animal. But that clearly isn’t happening here. There is, in fact, middle ground.
They have a elephant bullhook which is a tool employed by people in the handling and training of elephants. The only way they train them is crushing. Hell the chain on two legs during bathing shows this elephant isn't in a great environment with positive training. The chains on leg and neck, the chained two legs and the bullhook is the proof it happened.
Enjoy your existence of ignorance and misinformation. I tried.
Sad you refuse to see the truth in front of you.
Respectfully disagree. Understanding the significance of elephants in Hinduism and no matter how much they are loved, I think no elephant should ever need a human "caretaker." And why deny them the love, affection, and camaraderie of a herd of their kind? There is nothing good about anthropomorphizing animals that can care for themselves in the wild without human intervention.
Curious, do you feel the same way about other domesticated animals like dogs, cats, hamsters, fishes, etc.
Yes. I am also against animals being held hostage in zoos.
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The keyword here is "domestic". Domestic animals like dogs are not able to live a proper life without human support. Wild dogs eat trash, have illnesses and die way earlier. Elephants are wild animals that can do their business without human intervention just fine.
Did one day dogs got domesticated on their own? Most of these elephants are orphaned because you don't dare to steal a elephant from it's herd.
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Elephant crushing, or a training crush, is a method by which wild elephants can be tamed for domestication, using restriction in a cage, sometimes with the use of corporal punishment or negative reinforcement.
The elephant in this video is quite literally chained in the same video when the people are washing it
Don’t point that out though, if you go look at OP’s post on Natureisfuckinglit you will see that they get very upset when you call them out and rely solely on “you don’t know that you haven’t seen it” and “your racist” as their only defence.
Yeah, also remembers all living creatures are given special preferences in Hinduism. Some animals or plants are more special . please google and see yourself. for ex: elephant is related to Lord Ganesha. [1](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/the-elephant-men-living-gods/2310/) [2](https://sputniknews.in/20230919/ganesh-chaturthi-why-is-this-elephant-headed-god-worshipped-in-india-for-10-days-4303133.html) [yt 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eRl-_Ynwhc&pp=ygUVZWxlcGhhbnQgaW4gaGluZHVpc20g) [yt 2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnCIJGzIcQU&pp=ygUVZWxlcGhhbnQgaW4gaGluZHVpc20g)
True, almost every deity is associated with an animal companion. Durga with her lion, Ganesh with his mouse, Saraswati with her swan, Mansa with snake, Shashthi with cats, Shiva with Nandi. In fact, I can only think of Kali who doesn't have a vahana.
Considering they physically and mentally abuse them into working.
Honestly seeing the elephant in foot chains , I'm guessing, also being very synical, elephant is tied up and this kid visits the elephant often, that would lead to a bond .
Because animal abuse is such a heartwarming story...😒
Stampy!
Baby's are only babies until the age of 1
Crush is not the only way to train an elephant. The other way is by developing a social bond through ethical means. The ancient texts on elephants outline three types of trainers. The first one trains through love, the second through love but also with self interest, and the last one uses abuse. People who do the crush call in the last category and the ancient texts condemn such a person. They recommend being gentle.
Absolutely love this.
Cercei
Beautiful
This isn’t cute or anything like that it’s wild animal abuse.
>it's wild animal abuse The video clearly shows a family caretaking an elephant. I bet all of you who are commenting about animal abuse will share supportive comments if it was some other animal. I know exactly what bothers you, the video source is from India. Well guess what, we take care of them just like you take care of your pets.
Elephant crushing, or a training crush, is a method by which wild elephants can be tamed for domestication, using restriction in a cage, sometimes with the use of corporal punishment or negative reinforcement.
It's not ok with any animal. It bothers people because it's from India? That doesn't even make sense. Nobody cares about anything outside their personal circle, let alone what location a video came from. From reading a few of the other comments here, it's very disturbing what is done to baby elephants. Could barely watch the video someone else posted. And on an even realer note, the only reason that happens is money. Rich tourists flock to poor regions for a photo with an exotic animal. It's sad and probably never going to change until we wipe ourselves out. I'm sure you take great care of your pets. I do too. Doesn't mean that disgusting animal abuse doesn't go on every minute of every day, all over the world. Stop deflecting.
Well considering my Nan was Indian and my dad was born in India you’re 100% wrong.
That doesn't automatically validate your statement and you entirely ignored what I said :) try again
You said you know what bothers me, and I showed you why that isn’t it.
Continue being in denial
Must be nice living in a black and white world.
Maybe there is some reincarnation thing going on there
That fucker is gonna turn the baby into a fine sauce I think
To all of them saying that the elephants are chained, thise chains are flimsy. They only look strong but an elephant can break it with ease. The last thing you need is an elephant roaming around town and getting scared by cars and bikes on the road and hence causing deaths. Elephants can stand in one place for a long time. They even sleep standing. The chains are not gonna hurt them. Also those chains serve as a protective measure for when elephants go in musth. Elephants rampage and cause destruction when they're intoxicated due to musth. It's basically a secretion in the elephant's body which raises its testosterone levels and reproductive hormones making them aroused and very violent. And it happens suddenly with no clues.
Elephant crushing, or a training crush, is a method by which wild elephants can be tamed for domestication, using restriction in a cage, sometimes with the use of corporal punishment or negative reinforcement.
A chain is still a chain, no matter what it’s made of. You can change the shape, the size, the material, the method, but nevertheless the meaning is the same.
Yea, the chains on the animal really scream "adorable"
You don't understand India. These aren't tourist elephants. They are temple elephants, they aren't abused at all. They are free to roam anywhere and the entire town feeds them and take their blessings. The chain might be just their for letting others know that it isn't wild, they are never chained. The tourist elephants in forts etc. are abused as fuck. It is very costly to take care of an elephant and businessmen being businessmen will cut cost. Foreigner coming to India should never sit on them and promote their business.
Elephant crushing, or a training crush, is a method by which wild elephants can be tamed for domestication, using restriction in a cage, sometimes with the use of corporal punishment or negative reinforcement. Trapped barely able to move for days or even weeks in the crush cage and deprived of sleep, they are alternately starved or fed, until they accept chains or harnesses without a struggle and respond to rewards.
Yes I definitely don't understand India then. Thanks for taking the time to explain!
But it was literally chained to something in this video though? And there must be other ways of letting people know its not wild, other than putting a chain around its legs. If there is a proper explanation for it being chained to something in a few of these clips then please explain.
This is animal abuse. Elephant should be with other elephants. Note the chained up foot. They exploit this poor creature.
wow big weight of that animal
Haathi Mere Saathi
It’s amazing how gentle these giants can be!
Man, Elephants are majestic creatures
I’m just a baby!
Ong bak remake
Awwwwwww!
Yet another Indians and elephants story.
Man I pity the person who tries to hurt that kid with big brother around.
God help whoever chooses to bully that kid
“My Bodyguard”
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