Celebrities join PETA India to rescue abused ‘Joymala’

Assam’s jumbo Joymala, who was kept in a Tamil Nadu temple and who was shown being beaten cruelly by a mahout in a viral video, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India claimed that she was still being treated inhumanely, which sparked further debate about her health. 

Meanwhile, Bollywood celebrities and famous figures from the music, sports, and fashion industries have joined PETA India's social media campaign to promote the release of Joymala. 

Madhuri Dixit, Raveena Tandon, Arjun Rampal, Aftab Shivdasani, Rahul Dev, Genelia Deshmukh, Sunny Leone, Papon, Kunal Kapur, Pooja Bhatt, Atul Kasbekar, Adah Sharma, and Kavita Kaushik are among the celebrities who have endorsed the #FreeElephantJeymalyatha movement on Twitter.

Madhuri Dixit taking to wrote, “Dear Sirs, @himantabiswa, @mkstalin, @cmpatowary, @Ramachandranmla, please send elephant Jeymalyatha alias Joymala to a rescue centre where she can receive specialized care, live free & be in the company of her fellow beings. She needs help to recover from her trauma.”

Raveena Tandon on the other wrote, “Dear @himantabiswa sir, @mkstalin, @cmpatowary, @Ramachandranmla, please send elephant Jeymalyatha (also called Joymala) to a rescue center where she can receive specialist care, live unchained, and be in the company of other elephants. She needs help to recover from her trauma.”

Rahul Dev wrote, “Dear Sirs, @himantabiswa, @mkstalin, @cmpatowary, @Ramachandranmla, please send elephant Jeymalyatha alias Joymala to a rescue centre where she can receive specialized care, live free & be in the company of her fellow beings. She needs help to recover from her trauma.”

According to PETA India, the mahout used pliers to brutally twist the elephant Joymala (Jeymalyathaskin )'s for control on July 27, even in front of inspectors. In the shed where she is shackled by two legs for up to 16 hours each day, many ankuses were discovered. Despite the fact that she has worked with the temple since 2008, the pool that was featured in the press looks to have been recently constructed only for public relations.

A veterinary inspection report of Joymala done on July 27 was recently sent by PETA India to representatives of the Forest Department in Tamil Nadu and Assam.

Despite the temple's assertions to the contrary, PETA India asserted that the most recent video showing the woman being beaten in the sanctum sanctorum of the Krishnan Kovil temple close to Srivilliputhur Nachiyar Thirukovil first surfaced in June of that year. Without evidence, any assertions that this was an older video cannot be supported, it added.

“First video of her being beaten at a rejuvenation camp by a mahout & his assistant surfaced in Feb’21. This led TN’s Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments to suspend the mahout involved. However, this did not stop her beatings by the new mahout. Elephant Joymala was reportedly given on a 6-month lease to Tamil Nadu from Assam in 2008 & never returned, making her continued use in Tamil Nadu illegal, in violation of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972,” PETA India tweeted.

Seeking immediate intervention from Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and forest minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, PETA India tweeted further, “The elephant Joymala needs help to recover from her psychological trauma, to be removed from her place of abuse & sent to a Project Elephant-approved rescue centre where she can receive specialist care, live unchained, & in the company of other allies.”

However, a group from Assam that visited the temple in Tamil Nadu to check on Joymala's health was not permitted to see her. While awaiting additional instructions from the state government, the delegation has been staying there.