Chennai, Tuesday 03 August 2010: Tamil Nadu government is likely to ban the age-old practice of elephants ‘blessing’ pilgrims in temples. Wildlife officials have asked temple authorities to put an end to the practice as trainers torture the elephants, compelling them to ‘bless’ pilgrims, sometimes leaving them injured.

Moreover, elephants like humans suffer from diseases like asthma and tuberculosis and it might spread to pilgrims, the authorities said. Chief wildlife warden R Sundarajaru had recently issued a circular instructing the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR and CE) department, which is maintaining temples, to stop the practice.

The ban might also reduce stress on the jumbos. The Wildlife department had been conducting “relief camps” for elephants for a month every year to relieve them from stress.

These camps are being conducted at the elephant sanctuary at Mudumalai forest in Nilgiris district, where the department had a training centre for jumbos.