Bollywood bigwigs lead PETA elephant campaign

FOR A CAUSE: Celebrities have have signed PETA's petition urging chief ministers across the country to ban the entry of elephants into urban areas.

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Mumbai: What do you get when you put celebrities including Dilip Kumar, Saira Banu, John Abraham and Raveena Tandon together with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals India (PETA)? A very loud statement of compassion for elephants who live in cities where they are forced to walk on scorching-hot, pothole-ridden roads in busy traffic amid a cacophony of horns and engines.

That's why many of the biggest celebrities in India including MP Priya Dutt, filmmakers Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Mahesh Bhatt and actors Isha Koppikar, Yana Gupta, Rahul Khanna, Celina Jaitley, Gulshan Grover and many others have signed PETA's petition urging chief ministers across the country to ban the entry of elephants into urban areas.

This petition is timed to mark the one-year anniversary of the death of elephant Lakshmi, who was killed by a truck last September. The government of Maharashtra has already banned the entry of elephants into Mumbai.

Why does life in the streets mean misery for elephants? They are prodded and hooked with sharp, metal ankuses that cause pain and suffering.

When they are not working, the elephants are chained by their legs - unable even to move a single step.

They commonly suffer from potentially deadly foot ailments, skin problems, eye infections and cataracts.

Allowing elephants in crowded urban areas also poses a danger to the public. Frightened elephants have rampaged - killing mahouts and scattering crowds.

"We hope that other governments will emulate the progressive step of the government of Maharashtra - the petition should serve as a wake-up call", says PETA Chief Functionary Anuradha Sawhney.