"...veterinary surgeons point out that obesity and captivity go hand in hand. Elephants eat up to 200 different varieties of food in the jungle, including fruits, flowers, roots and branches, but in captivity their diets often lack variety. The experts also point out that the elephants in the wilderness are never exposed to foods such as rice, millets, salt and jaggery (an unrefined sugar set into blocks).
Uphill trek
Wild elephants wander, trek uphill, cross streams and walk on a variety of terrain. They also compete with other wild animals for resources. A senior forest veterinary officer in the state observed: "In captivity, elephants eat constantly, and that coupled with lack of exercise makes the animals obese."
But temple officials say the elephants are taken for walks of at least 5km each day based on vet advice. But research has shown that in the wilderness an elephant has to walk at least 20 sq km (eight sq miles) to find its daily food intake of about 250kg of plant matter.
'Grave sin'
Dr AJT John Singh, former director the Wildlife Institute of India, called the practice a "grave sin". "It's like confining a solitary person in... the middle of the forest," he said. "Elephants are social animals and have amazing social bonds with one another. Breaking that, and keeping the animal alone, is like solitary confinement, the greatest form of punishment to a human being."..."
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