Gods in Shackles, An Exposé on the Shocking Abuse and Exploitation of Elephants for Kerala India’s Lavish Cultural Festivals
Gods in Shackles is a groundbreaking, feature-length documentary film, revealing shocking undercover footage how captive elephants are exploited for profit in the name of culture and religion in Kerala, India. The film is an expose on the dark side of the southern Indian state of Kerala’s lavish cultural festivals that perpetrate torture and horrific abuse on elephants for commercial profit under the guise of culture and religion.
Filmmaker Sangita Iyer, an award-winning journalist and wildlife documentary filmmaker raised in Kerala, spent years making this moving documentary that exposes the systemic corruption and the abhorrent torture that is suffered by India’s heritage animals. She very thoughtfully and consciously reveals the truth to show how these majestic animals are treated for the benefit of ritual and amusement. She pulls back the veil on the political, commercial, and cultural systems that are the foundation and have given rise to the abuse of elephants. Sangita made the film to create a deeper awareness about the plight of captive festival elephants, to inspire change, and expose to the world the plight of these beautiful, magnificent animals used as Temple Elephants, and to end elephant slavery – forever.
No sentient being should ever suffer because of humans, they are not ours to dominate or control, they have their own being, families, they grieve, they suffer, they feel the emotions we do. It’s time to change in how we treat animals. The film is a call to action to empower all of us to help free these animals, and all animals, and for each of us not to contribute to any animal’s use, abuse, or exploitation for any unnecessary reason.
Asian Elephants
The Asian elephant is classified as Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Its population has declined by an estimated 50 percent over the past 75 years, and there are an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 Asian elephants left in the wild.
Film Length: 1 Hour, 35 Minutes
Film Premiered: January, 2016
Temple Elephants in Cultural Festival
Film Awards
- World Documentary Godlen Award Winner, 2016
- Winner Best Documentary, 2016
- Winner CayFilm, 2016
- Winner Los Angeles Film Festival, 2016
- Winner Miami Film Festival, 2016
More About the Film
Visit the Website: http://www.godsinshackles.com
Watch on Amazon Prime
From the Director
- “There are no religious scriptures that purports using elephants in festivals. In fact, one of the most revered Hindu Priests of Kerala, Akkeramon Kalidasan Bhattathirippad, bluntly stated this, “In our belief … there is vahanam means vehicle for every God and Goddess, but nowhere we can see elephant is a vahanam for God or Goddess.”
- “Deprived of their basic necessities – water, food, and rest – these elephants are transported from one festival to another, so the temples, owners, brokers, festival organizers, elephant handlers and all stakeholders can make profit. During the peak festival season the elephants are leased out (like cars) for as high as Rs. 80,000, approximately $1,400 USD per day, generating more than $100,000 USD between December and May every year. These animals are forced to stand for hours on end, all four legs shackled in hot and humid weather conditions.”
- “Most elephants used in Kerala’s festivals are males. They are being robbed of their basic right to mate, tethered 24/7 for 3-4 months during their musth period. This has skewed the sex ratio of wild elephants, with 1:80 male and female ratio in some places, which could cause inbreeding, genetic issues, and deformities.”
- “There are over 3000 festivities in Kerala between December and May, most of them displaying ornate elephants. They are forced to carry more than 1000 Kilos of weight on their back, including the deity, ornaments, massive chains, and 3-4 men, and stand beneath the scorching sun with all four legs shackled.”
- “Filming at the Trissur Pooram Festival in May 2014 was extremely risky, as we were challenging the cultural norm – cruel treatment of elephants. No doubt the release of our film will upset the wealthy and powerful who profit from the elephants.”
- “During the May 2014 Trissur Pooram our camera crew was pushed and shoved as we tried to capture shots of blind elephants, the ones with serious leg injuries, and ulcerous growths on their body that reveal Kerala’s captive elephants are tortured, neglected and exploited for commerce in the name of culture, but actually for human entertainment.”
- “As an extension of this film, it is our broader goal to help establish a rehabilitation center for festival and temple elephants to live peacefully for the rest of their lives.”
Quote About the Film
“I feel sickened and terribly saddened that elephants are treated in this way in the name of religion. Mahatma Gandhi said that you can judge a nation by the way it treats its animals: based on the treatment of these temple elephants, India would get a very low mark. I am sure that this film, shot with infinite compassion, will shock all who watch and motivate many to do all in their power to bring this torture of sentient sapient beings to an end.” ~ Dr. Jane Goodall
Film Credits
Director and Producer: Sangita Iyer
Script Writer: Digby Cook
Media Advisor: Paul Lewis
