The Tamil Nadu forest state department has refuted the allegations made by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)-India that Joymala alias Jeymalyatha, the elephant from Assam, was being subjected to abuse at the Nachiyar Thirukovil Temple in Srivilliputhur. Further, the department is also contemplating initiating legal action against PETA, India.

“PETA-India’s footage is old. Even yesterday, H Dileep Kumar, Deputy Director of Srivilliputhur Megamalai Tiger Reserve visited Joymala and submitted a status report. The elephant is fine,” Tamil Nadu Chief Wildlife Warden Srinivas R Reddy said on Tuesday while rejecting the allegations.

“Joymala is one of the most cared for captive elephants in the State,” he added.

On Tuesday, the PETA alleged that an elephant taken from Assam is being abused again in a Tamil Nadu temple.

Claiming to have conducted an investigation, PETA India shared video clippings in which the 20-year-old Joymala was seen chained, and the pool constructed by the temple for the daily bath was empty.

“Elephant Jeymalyatha (Joymala) needs specialised care to recover from her ‘trauma’. Please send her to a rehabilitation centre to live unchained,” PETA-India said in a tweet.

“The investigator visited numerous times during different parts of the day. The elephant was chained except for one walk around the temple on one of the days. The pool was always dry on days visited, and there is no reason to believe it is in use. During the July 27, 2022 inspection, she was chained up to 16 hours a day,” Harshil Maheshwari, deputy director (advocacy projects), PETA-India had claimed.

Alleging that the elephant is being held at the temple without valid documents,  PETA-India is demanding the elephant to be handed over to the Assam forest department.