Mumbai engineer builds up a remote-operated machine to control brutal elephants

Thrissur (Kerala), Nov 14 (ANI): An engineer from Mumbai has designed and developed a remote operated mechanism to control the violent elephants in the state.

Zachariah Mathew with his son conducted the trial run of the device here on Thursday amidst the mahouts and elephant owners.

The duo has named the device 'Violent Elephant Control Gear' and it has been manufactured at their engineering firm in Mumbai.

This device weighing only 8 kilograms can be attached to an elephant's legs and can be controlled from a distance of over 25 meters with the help of a remote.

Zachariah Mathew said that he developed the device after seeing the number of deaths due to elephant rampage in the state.

"Last year I saw in TV that in an area of Kerala, three people died of elephant rampage. So we developed this machine. The advantage of this device is that if an elephant becomes violent, then it can be controlled with the remote from a distance of about 25 kilometers. The elephant will be unable to move its legs after that," said Mathew.

The remote control gear expenses around Rupees 30,000.

Elephants are used for temple festivals in southern India, particularly in long processions.

Elephants are deeply respected in India, with the elephant-headed god Ganesha one of the most popular in the Hindu pantheon.

But despite their divine status, hundreds of elephants continue to be ill treated and overworked at illicit circuses and temples, where they spend 9-10 hours carrying tourists and locals. (ANI)