An elephant in Sri Lanka died of exhaustion after it was forced to carry tourists on trips on the Safari. Devastating images and videos were also released by the authorities.
Shocking photographs of the elephant showed the elephant lying on the floor with a tarpaulin type of material.
The images that were shared showed the abuse these animals go through when they’re forced to work under harsh conditions.
The elephant in the videos is 18-years-old, and in the video that was shared by the authorities, it showed the dead animal covered in a green blanket.
Reports suggest that the animal was carrying 3 groups of tourists on the day that he passed away.
The elephant was also forced to take part in a parade earlier.
The elephant died on October 18, 2019.
Animal rights activists are now calling for new laws so authorities could protect animals more.
In Sri Lanka, if you’re found guilty in animal abuse, you’re only going to get a fine of 50p.
Talking about the death of the 18-year-old elephant, Paul Healy, a member of the Moving Animals, said people could prevent deaths like these if people started to treat animals better.
Paul said, “This young elephant’s tragic and cruel death was entirely preventable. Until tourists refuse to ride elephants, more of these gentle giants will continue to suffer and collapse from exhaustion.”
Paul added, “We urge tourists to never ride an elephant, and call on the Sri Lankan government to instate a new Animal Welfare Bill that will finally offer protection to the country’s amazing array of animals and wildlife.”
Investigations have been launched to find out about how the animal died and how it was treated by its owners.
Authorities are still to release an official statement about the death of this animal.