PETA offers temple robotic elephant after live animal kills 2

In a horrific, but not unusual, incident on November 18, a temple elephant in Tamil Nadu trampled her mahout and a relative of the attendant to death. It is unclear what triggered the elephant’s anger. But the India chapter of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has offered to gift a robotic elephant to the Subramania Swamy temple in Tiruchendur town in return for Deivanai’s release from custody and rehabilitation at a sanctuary, “where...

Court refuses custody of paralysed infant monkey to saviour vet

The Madras High Court refused last week to grant custody of a partially paralysed infant monkey to a Coimbatore veterinarian who had found it in a critical condition and cared for it for over 10 months, the Indo-Asian News Service reported. The case is a study of how the “rules” and the bureaucracy ensure that nothing, not even the welfare of an individual, an animal in this case, stand in their way. Rejecting the petition...

Fisheries institute identifies 2 new species of needlefish off Indian coast

Researchers at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute in Cochin, Kerala, have identified two new species of needlefish from Indian waters. The discovery was made through genetic and molecular analysis, revealing that what was previously considered a single species, the flat needlefish (Ablennes hians), is actually a complex of at least three distinct species. The new species have been named Ablennes joseberchmansis and Ablennes gracalii​, The New Indian Express newspaper reported. The research was led...

​​Robotic elephant makes debut in Tamil Nadu temple

We have all seen elephants greet visitors at numerous temples in South India. The reason? The animals are considered auspicious and sacred and also used for performing certain rituals. However, as is common practice in the country with regard to animals, the elephants, too, were not spared neglect and even cruelty. The long hours they are forced to stand and kept tied are just the more obvious elements. Now, a rather cool solution has been...