CHENNAI, INDIA, April 1, 2011: With the rise of regulations protecting elephants in temples, some people are going for unorthodox solutions.
The laws do not mention mammoths or mastodons. A new company in Chennai is working to resurrect these species from preserved DNA samples, with an eye on the temple market. ‘They have several advantages,’ said Mr. Subhafool Aprilmurthy, CEO of Pachyderm Solutions, Inc. ‘Mammoths have much more abundant hair, which can be groomed in beautiful styles. Mastodons have long, curled tusks that can will draw the public.’ According to him, both animals would be better at attracting tourists than regular elephants. ‘Temples will be like Disneyland,’ he says.
The company does not plan to stop there. Dinosaurs that formerly lived on the subcontinent, such as the Indosuchus and the Brachypodosaurus, could be a hit in temples. A minor problem is that they will eat some devotees, but not too many, according to Aprilmurthy. ‘It might actually reduce the crowding of temples,’ says a temple official who wished to remain anonymous.