Jayaram’s ‘jumbo ad’ draws flak

Alappuzha: Elephant lovers are up in arms against an advertisement that has been used by a jewellery group to commercially exploit the majestic, but endangered animals.

The ad published in a prominent national daily on Tuesday shows  actor Jayaram holding the tusk of a jewellery-caparisoned elephant along with Bollywood's  Aftab Shivadasani.

V. K. Venkitachalam, animal rights activist and secretary, Heritage Animal Task Force, has ridiculed the ad saying an elephant has nothing to do with gold jewellery or its promotion. He has also criticised the film stars for consenting to exploit the animals for commercial benefit.  

“According to the CITES Treaty (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), elephants  can be used only to create awareness among international community on  their conservation,” he claimed. He has also sent a petition to the authorities concerned against the advertisement. M. N. Jayachandran, another activist, said,  “this ad will discredit the heritage animal and encourage unauthorised use of tusks for manufacturing jewellery items.”

Mr G. Vinod, administrator of the jewellery group having countrywide businesses, said  that it was a creative work of the advertising firm and that the group  had nothing to do with it.