Animals and humans are supposed to co-exist, or that is what ideally Mother Nature would want. Humans have always been territorial and tried to snatch away the natural habitat of other animals. Cutting trees, abandoning forests, making the world a concrete jungle, killing animals for food and what not. One such horrific story belongs to a gentle Kalidassan, an elephant who went on a rampage because of what he had to go through.

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Elephants are decorated and used in processions, marriages and other grand events. A huge animal and usually not volatile, elephants are resorted to cruel conditions and training to ‘behave’ in human terms. Kalidassan met the same fate and was used in processions until he could not take it anymore.  During a procession, constantly walking for hours with no food, noise and firecrackers triggered him and he turned violent.

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“The elephants are decorated with beautiful caparisons and made to parade for as long as 10 kilometers [6 miles] on a single day of festival, carrying effigies of deities amid noise of orchestra and fireworks that sometimes agitate the highly-sensitive animals and result in such incidents”, a news piece recently reported.  Kalidassan had to eventually be tranquilized and the rampage continued for 4 hours. What are we doing in the name of entertainment? Snatching habitats and taming other living beings to cater to our joy? How can we find happiness in such cruel things? God bless our humanity.