Almost every temple elephant carries a spray of pale freckles on its trunk and ears. The patches are natural depigmentation, seen in wild herds too, and the myths we attach to elephants say a great deal about how we treat them.
temple elephants
The last four of five young elephants sent from Assam to temples in Tamil Nadu this month reached their new homes late last week, completing a transfer the Gauhati High Court declined to stop but has asked Assam to account for, in a detailed affidavit on the animals’ welfare, before it hears the case again on 15 October.