Dear Minister,

I am deeply concerned about the plight of the Asian elephant in India, both in the wild and in captivity. I am therefore writing to ask the Indian government to do more to protect them in the wild; to enforce and strengthen the legal guidelines for the management of captive elephants; and to outlaw the use of pajan as a method of domestication.Whilst elephants have been deeply embedded in Indian culture for centuries, the use of the pajan to domesticate them must surely come to an end. UK tourists are becoming increasingly aware that to train elephants for the tourist industry and at religious functions, the vast majority of elephants are trained using this horrific ritual. Young elephants are immobilized and subject to intense beatings and deprivations to subdue their ‘wild spirit’ and make them docile for training. It can be seen at www.stae.org/horrors.Moreover, humans now know far more than before about the great intelligence, emotional sensitivity and rich social lives of the world’s largest land mammal. To keep them routinely hobbled and chained for long periods in isolation, suffering foot diseases, heat stress and intense psychological distress, are practices that cannot be justified in the eyes of the world.The British Government’s Manifesto pledges to “support the Indian Government in its efforts to protect the Asian elephants”. We urge the Indian Government to work closely with the British Government and Save The Asian Elephants (STAE) to protect this ancient species.

Yours faithfully