160,000 kids ‘set to lose free school meals’

THE BBC is caught up in a second elephant cruelty row – just weeks after it shelved a Monty Don programme following an outcry.

Bosses have come under fire for featuring Michael Portillo “massaging” one elephant and hosing down another at a sanctuary during his BBC show Great Indian Railway Journeys.

The presenter describes the visitor centre in Jaipur as an “alternative attraction for tourists who want to engage with the animals”.

But visitors to Elefantastic are also allowed to clamber on the creatures and paint them in gaudy colours.

Animal rights campaigners claim the BBC failed in its duty to research the facility adequately before giving it airtime. Activist Audrey Gaffney, who lodged a complaint with the BBC, said: “This is a genuine attempt to cover a sensitive issue. But on examination of this facility it is apparent that they allow practices that are not ethical – riding, painting, climbing on trunks.

“I would expect our national broadcaster to undertake diligent research and if they are to apply consistency this episode should be removed as the Monty Don show was.”

Born Free Foundation’s head of animal welfare Dr Chris Draper said a “genuine” sanctuary “would not offer that degree of contact with members of the public and certainly not riding”.

He added: “The public contact is frankly asking for trouble. These are not domesticated animals.

“These are wild animals and extremely dangerous. A genuine sanctuary would not allow these animals to be painted, cuddled and CHAINS Mirror unearthed distressing evidence in India ABOUT 160,000 children will lose free school meals under Tory welfare reforms, experts say.

The rollout of Universal Credit will see one in eight who received free hot lunches denied them.

petted by strangers and ridden. It raises some serious questions about this facility, although it may be at the better end of the spectrum in the region.”

Of Portillo bathing the elephant, Dr Draper said: “Washing may seem so benign. But elephants don’t need people to wash them – they are perfectly capable of doing it themselves.

“It’s a bizarre artifice that we have constructed to show how we interact.

“I’ve seen other facilities where an elephant is kept under control in a river Only youngsters from families with net earnings below £7,400 a year will qualify.

But analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies says about 210,000 who would not have qualified ALOFT Tourist perches with a keeper on watch to be washed for hours on end.” A BBC2 episode of Monty Don’s Paradise Gardens was pulled from the on-demand iPlayer service in February after the Mirror highlighted the presenter riding an elephant in Jaipur. Beeb bosses had insisted no signs of cruelty were found. But footage unearthed by this paper showed chains shackling animals used for tourist rides. The BBC launched an investigation. The Corporation said of Great Indian Railway Journeys: “Michael Portillo presents a factual piece about... the use of domestic elephants. He notes concerns about cruelty and visits a sanctuary to report on attempts to find alternative ways of engaging with them.” under the old system will be fed for free.

IFS economist Tom Waters said the shake-up “creates a substantial number of losers, but a greater number of winners, with children of lone parents and of working parents likely to gain entitlement.”

Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner said: “It is time to abandon plans that would leave so many ineligible for a hot meal.”