Hindustan Times, India
Feb 1, 2005
PM’s gift sparks jumbo controversy
Press Trust of India
London, February 1
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s intervention has been sought by an
international wildlife and animal welfare charity to prevent transfer
of a Bangalore based elephant to Armenia.
“The Born Free Foundation urges the Indian Prime Minister, Dr
Manmohan Singh to reconsider this gift and to call the move off,” its
CEO Will Travers said in London on Monday.
He said the Foundation, founded by actors Virginia McKenna and Bill
Travers, believed that there were many other ways of improving
relations between New Delhi and Yerevan which would not involve the
potential suffering and possible demise of animals.
Virginia McKenna, OBE, who starred in the classic 1966 movie Born
Free, said, “It is deeply disheartening that the custom of using
animals as diplomatic gifts still continues. Animals are not
inanimate objects and certainly deserve to be treated with due
respect for their nature and needs.
“The proposed removal of an elephant from Bangalore to Yerevan Zoo
highlights the urgent need for this issue to be addressed on an
international basis, and I can only hope that it is not too late to
change hearts and minds. Not only for this elephant, but in future no
more animals should be used in this way.”
According to information received by the Foundation, the elephant is
due to leave Bangalore and is destined for Yerevan. The exchange is
in the form of a diplomatic gift consigned by the Indian Prime
Minister to his counterpart in Armenia, the foundation claimed.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress