India introduces robotic elephants to replace real ones in religious ceremonies

Elephants that look just like real ones, but are actually robots made of fiberglass and rubber: they are used in India in religious ceremonies to reduce the exploitation of pachyderms

In India, growing concern for the welfare of elephants has caused one such creative solution to reducing their use in religious ceremonies: the availability of robotic elephants. These machines, designed to perform in the same way as their living counterparts, are made of rubber and fiberglass, with a metallic framework that allows them to flap their ears and shoot water from their trunks, just like their biological counterparts.

The application of these robotic elephants to Hindu processions has been greeted by animal rights activists because it allows religious traditions to be upheld without inflicting injury on real elephants. These animals, which are normally forced to participate in loud and congested ceremonies, suffer immense physical and psychological damage.

They are caught mostly from the wild and undergo torture to teach them to stay in captivity. These lovely animals have been used for centuries in festivals and religious celebrations, but the ear-numbing sounds and unorganized groups can trigger ferocity, and both the human beings and elephants get harmed.

Removing the accident threat

To prevent such mishaps and improve the lives of the animals, organizations such as PETA and the Voice for Asian Elephants Society have funded the production and distribution of robotic elephants. There have been around a dozen such artificial elephants distributed to Hindu temples so far, with the intention to substitute the real animals in religious ceremonies.

These robots not only provide an ethical solution but a safer one. The mechanical elephants remove the danger of accidents from traumatized or abused animals. Recent incidents of elephant attacks on processions have made a better case for the innovation. There were serious accidents involving elephants in Kerala in 2023 with a ghastly casualty of five deaths.

Adoption of robotic elephants is contributing to the dissemination of awareness about the treatment of animals in India. A good beginning was made in November 2024 when a Kerala court imposed tighter norms on the use of captive elephants, once again emphasizing that tradition cannot be the justification for exploiting and abusing the animals. With the arrival of such technologies, hope is that temples and religious organizations will choose more modern solutions that respect animal rights while retaining traditions.

The first ever robot elephant, named “Siva Sankara Hariharan,” was introduced at the Gudalur temple of Tamil Nadu in March 2024 at the Sivarathri festival. It was an instant success and now other temples are contacting the association to purchase this ethical and eco-friendly alternative to real elephants.