Source: www.google.com
MUMBAI, INDIA, November 24, 2009: An Indian inventor has created a device to stop rampaging elephants in their tracks, amid concern about human injuries and deaths when they run amok, his company said Monday.
Zachariah Mathew’s Violent Elephant Control Gear has been designed to provide a humane alternative to sedating the animals, which are often used in religious festivals and are respected in Hinduism.
Mathew’s device involves attaching a fiberglass box weighing 13 to 17 pounds to one of the elephant’s back legs. At the first sign of the animal turning violent, the mahout or elephant driver can activate the battery-operated device by remote control, sending a nylon belt contained inside to wrap around the tusker’s other hind leg.
“The elephant is a very clever animal. He knows he won’t be able to move. He won’t fall,” George, the firm’s marketing manager, told AFP.