Like the real deal: Workers preparing robotic elephant models for religious rituals at the Chakkamparambu Bhagavathy temple in Thrissur; AFP
It flaps its ears and squirts water from a waving trunk, but this elephant is a life-size mechanical replica rolled out to replace the endangered animals in India’s Hindu temples.
Made of fibreglass and rubber, and trundling on a wheeled metal frame strong enough to hold a rider, the model is one of dozens that animal rights campaigners are trumpeting as an alternative to keeping elephants in captivity in India.
Uh-oh! Daily quota reached.
