A state assembly was informed Thursday by the government that since 2006, about 97 elephants have been sent outside of the state, most of these elephants were sent for "religious activities." State forest minister Chandra Mohan Patowary informed the assembly that all of these elephants were transported with permission from the state forest department. The elephants were transported to states across the country, including Bihar, Gujarat, West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. The alleged illtreatment of Joymala, the captive elephant from Assam, caused a massive furor across the country and in Assam, a video showing Joymala crying in pain after being illtreated by the mahout went viral. Peta and irked animal lovers demanded the elephant be returned to Assam.
