Photos showing a malnourished elephant that is purportedly used in a Sri Lankan festival have proliferated on social media after an elephant advocacy group posted photos showing her condition.
The photos were uploaded to Facebook by the Save the Elephant Foundation, which said that the elephant pictured is named Tikiiri and routinely dressed in lavish costume and used as part of the Perahera Festival.
“She is one of the 60 elephants who must work in the service of the Perahera Festival in Sri Lanka this year,” the post reads. “Tikiri joins in the parade early every evening until late at night every night for 10 consecutive nights, amidst the noise, the fireworks, and smoke. She walks many kilometers every night so that people will feel blessed during the ceremony.”
“No one sees her bony body or her weakened condition, because of her costume. No one sees the tears in her eyes, injured by the bright lights that decorate her mask, no one sees her difficulty to step as her legs are short shackled while she walks,” it adds.
The foundation is urging people to write to the Sri Lankan prime minister to release the elephant from its service. A petition has also been set up calling for the prime minister to “end this barbaric torture and abuse.” As of Wednesday afternoon, it had picked up almost 6,000 online signatures.
A spokeswoman for the Sacred Tooth Relic, the temple that holds the festival, reportedly told the London Metro that “they always pay attention to animals and claim that Tikiiri has been examined by a veterinarian.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to the temple for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
