Animatronic elephant to visit schools in Hyderabad to teach empathy

Peta to bring an Animatronic elephant to visit schools in Hyderabad to teach about elephant empathy

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India and Glendale Academy will unveil a realistic, life-size, talking animatronic elephant named Ellie, who will visit schools in Hyderabad to teach children about empathy for animals.

Mechanical elephants can shake their heads, move their ears, swish their tails, and lift their trunks. Using them in place of real elephants helps religious institutions ensure the safety of their attendees and conducting rituals humanely. The only costs involved in maintaining such an “elephant” are electricity and staff accompanying it during public events.

PETA India member Sachin Bangera, explains “Ellie is a life-size (1.8 meters tall and nearly 1.4 meters wide) empathy-building animatronic elephant, weighing 350 kilograms. She is made of silicone and fibre and is voiced by actor Dia Mirza. Ellie will visit schools in Hyderabad from August 20 to September 3 to teach primary grade students how elephants feel when they are stolen from their jungle homes and used in circuses, rides and other events.

With support from many celebrities, PETA India has donated four life-size mechanical elephants – Irinjadappilly Raman to the Irinjadappilly Sree Krishna Temple in Thrissur, Mahadevan to the Thrikkayil Mahadeva Temple in Kochi, Baladhasan to the Pournamikavu Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, and Shiva to Sri Veerasimhasana Mahasamsthana Math in Mysuru – in recognition of the temples’ decisions never to own or hire live elephants. These and other mechanical elephants are now used to conduct safe, cruelty-free ceremonies at temples, allowing real elephants to remain with their families in Nature.