Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Beeb & Portillo in new elephant cruelty row
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 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 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.”