Kathmandu, November 10
The Chitwan Elephant Festival is facing growing pressure to end its elephant games following a Supreme Court directive recognising elephants as sentient beings, with animal rights organisation PETA calling on organisers and remaining sponsors to withdraw support from the event.
The call comes after several sponsors, including Machhapuchchhre Bank and Kathmandu-based tour company Himalayan Social Journey, withdrew their support following the release of video footage by PETA showing handlers beating elephants during football games at the festival.
PETA has urged the remaining sponsors, including eBooking Nepal, Barahsinghe Beer and Techminds Network, to cut ties with the event, arguing that the court’s directive should end the use of elephants for entertainment and tourism activities.
The organisation has also called on the Nepal Tourism Board and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation to ensure that elephants are no longer used in the festival.
According to PETA, its footage from the festival shows handlers repeatedly striking elephants with sticks and makeshift weapons to force them to participate in activities. In one incident, a handler allegedly jabbed, kicked and beat an elephant 64 times.
The footage also shows elephants being beaten with bullhooks, sharp steel-tipped weapons used to control and intimidate the animals, while they waited or were used as photo props for tourists.
PETA President Jason Baker said the Supreme Court’s directive made it clear that elephants should not be treated as tourism props.
He called on festival organisers to end what he described as cruel and outdated elephant activities and urged the remaining sponsors to withdraw their support.
The latest withdrawals follow earlier decisions by major companies, including Pepsi, Buddha Air and Nepal Investment Mega Bank, to drop their sponsorship of the festival after PETA released footage documenting the alleged mistreatment of elephants.
PETA has long raised concerns about the treatment of captive elephants in Nepal, particularly those used in tourism and entertainment.
The organisation says elephants naturally live in matriarchal herds, protect one another and share responsibility for raising their young. However, captivity deprives them of their natural social structures and behaviours and can lead to signs of psychological distress.
