Elephant owners in Rajasthan are miffed over the delay in getting their licenses for elephants renewed as it has led to the jumbos sitting idle and their owners being financially hurt in the busy tourist season.
Jaipur, Sept 6 : Elephant owners in Rajasthan are miffed over the delay in getting their licenses for elephants renewed as it has led to the jumbos sitting idle and their owners being financially hurt in the busy tourist season.
Dozens of elephants are used to ferry tourists to the Amer fort, on the outskirts of Jaipur, and the September month marks the beginning of the tourist season here.
"The tourist season is about to begin and we request the authorities that our elephants are released so that the tourists were able to get rides and elephant owners gets their income back," said Shyam Gupta, General Secretary of the Elephant Owners' Association in Amer.
The elephant owners said that the delay in getting license renewed for their jumbos was resulting in a huge loss of money.
"I need to feed my elephant and also a family. We just want our elephants are brought back to business. We have no other means to earn our livelihood," said Nazar Khan, an elephant owner, who had brought elephants from Assam.
Elephant ride was introduced in the Amer Fort in 1953 with a single elephant. But they now number 120, and are a huge attraction for tourists, especially among foreigners.
The 16th-century Amer Fort is a favourite destination for thousands of domestic and foreign tourists.
ANI