RETYPE OF LETTER FROM MANEKA GHANDI TO ENGLISH WOMAN WHO VISITED IPAN AND HAS BEEN ENQUIRING ABOUT CONDITION OF LOKI, THE ELEPHANT, dated September 7,1999

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(name deleted to protect privacy of recipient of letter from Maneka--transcribed exactly as written with no editing)

There has been a very poor record of foreign animal welfare organizations doing any work to help the animals in India. Instead what we have seen is highly paid members of high profile animal welfare organisations come to India on tourist junkets, stay at expensive hotels, take pictures and movies of the truly terrible plight of animals here, use this material to raise money from well meaning donors and then spend that money to finance more such luxury trips without doing a single thing to help a single animal. This has happened with WSPA and I am appalled to see their reply to you which claims they will be building a bear sanctuary this year as well as housing ex-circus animals.

More than 3 years ago, I approached them about the bear sanctuary. They came, did what I described above raised an enormous amount of money, none of which has come back for the bears. I have filed a complaint with the Charities Commissioner in this matter. Similarly about the circus animals. I had an order passed banning the use of wild animals in circuses and asked for help to construct refuges for these animals. Over a year later, they still remain with circuses with my Govt now paying circuses for their maintenance since we do not have refuges to keep them elsewhere.

As far as funding research projects into captive elephants is concerned,this again is a delaying tactic. WSPA did the same thing with the bear problem, wasting a whole year supposedly on research and paying the enormous sum of 20 pounds(!) a month to the Indian organisation it hired for this purpose. It is galling to see WSPA dishonestly trying to take credit for non-existent projects. Similarly with the RSPCA. I had initiated an animal welfare training programme to be conducted by RSPCA. Instead this programme has turned into a farce consisting mainly of sermons, moral advice and nothing of any real use. Instead we have RSPCA officials who have come to India and debunked our animal welfare movement for being vegetarian and no-kill.

I quote these instances so that you know the basic dishonesty that accompanies foreign reports about animal welfare in India and their own contribution to it. I have found the same thing with IPAN. Initially I was ready to help and even flew to Coonoor on an SOS from Deanna Fox. But subsequently I have found that her motives are as suspect as these others and her contribution as negligible. The money for the Nilgiri shelter comes from a bequest left for the purpose, but far from using it for animals, the place is used as a retreat for the Foxes.

With regard to LOKI, upon a request from PETA, I sent a team down to Mudhumalai who took photographs and a videotape of the elephant which appered to be recovering. I sent this information onto PETA for onward circulation. I also wrote to the Minister concerned asking for release of the elephant to IPAN. He agreed but by then Deanna Fox had already left to internationalise the issue and I suspect raise money on it. I sent another team which confirmed the first finding. Since my report clarified that Loki had indeed been subjected to enormous cruelty but was now being cared for at Mudumalai, and warned against organisations like IPAN capitalising on this case. I became the target of a vicious campaign with articles in PAWS accusing me of diliberately misleading the world etc. Enclosed is an article and photograph of Loki from the latest publication of the Animal Welfare Board of India.

I should like you to raise the issues that I have mentioned especially with WSPA and IPAN. If you would genuinely like to help animal welfare in India, there are several deserving organisations that you can work with and support including my own, People For Animals (brochure enclosed).

(Smt, Maneka Ghandi) Letter written under PEOPLE FOR ANIMALS, letterhead A-4 Maharani Bagh, New Delhi-110 065 Tel.6840402 Fax:6823144

In response to this letter, Andrew Dickson, Chief Executive of the World Society for the Protection of Animals wrote:

Dear Supporters of IPAN:

It has come to my attention that some of you may have received a letter from Maneka Gandhi who alleges a great number of criticisms of the work of IPAN. Ms. Gandhi has attacked the credibility of a great many animal charities, large and small, working in her country. Whilst I prefer not to speculate about her motivations for these actions, I urge you to disregard Ms Gandhi's inflammatory statements and to use your own best judgment in your decision to lend financial support to the many excellent organizations who are making a genuine effort to help the animals of India.

Yours sincerely,
Andrew Dickson
Chief Executive

More reports:

• December, 1999 Update
• December 30, 1999 Addendum