Kerala Elephant Foundation
Problem
Domesticating elephants requires "breaking" them in. In many parts of Asia, this extremely cruel process is referred to as "phajaan." An innocent elephant, often just a baby, will be tied-up and ruthlessly starved, beaten, and sleep-deprived for days, weeks, or months on end. Beatings may happen with rods, bullhooks, or other special instruments. Some elephants die from the torture. The purpose of the process is to break the will of the elephant - this is how humans gain control of elephants for their exploitation. Once sold or trained for a particular service, the elephant lives a life of slavery, profiting their owner.
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The state of Kerala, India is home to about 500 captive Asian elephants. These elephants have all been through some form of the phajaan process described above, and are typically used for festivals, in temples, for weddings, for rides, or even logging. While some of these elephants are otherwise properly cared for, a great many are living lives of great distress, completely dependent on mahouts or owners that may not care for them.
Most are chained for much of their lives, some even for decades, with of course no explanation for the suffering they have to endure. Many resort to swaying or rocking as their only comforts in darkness and isolation. Beatings and chaining leave them with a form of PTSD, and resulting aggression is met with stricter punishment and chaining. Diet and veterinary treatment is often substandard, and they develop conditions and diseases leading to painful and early deaths.​
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Many of these elephants are deaf or blind - some have even been intentionally blinded for greater control. They are starved during high-testosterone periods to keep them weak and controllable. Nails, chains, and bullhooks are used to stab and direct them. When an elephant gets a new mahout, or elephant handler, beatings are repeated to establish domination. In Kerala beatings often happen in secret, with an elephant tied-up and beaten in turns by a group of four mahouts. This is how elephants learn to fear their mahouts - this is how they are controlled and paraded despite their great size and strength.
Elephants that have had the misfortune of being captured into a life of slavery are frequently too traumatized or maladjusted to be released into the wild. As such, the best outcome for these elephants is to be rescued to a proper SANCTUARY. By sanctuary we mean a facility with minimal to no chaining, high-quality diet, high-quality veterinary care, as much autonomy as possible, access to nature and space, specialized care that takes into consideration past trauma, socialization with fellow elephants, and perhaps most importantly for such intelligent and social animals, love.
We seek to help the most abused elephants in the region. The blind, the deaf, the traumatized, the ones that have known only abuse. Those that have been left by everyone else. You can join us in this effort, and with your support, we will save and care for these precious animals. In the process, together, we will build a better world.
Together we'll conquer darkness and abuse
Kerala Elephant Foundation