25 Film Producers Sign PETA Pledge To Stop Using Live Elephants
Ahead of World Elephant Day on August 12, 25 film, television, web, and advertising producers in Navi Mumbai signed People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India’s Elephant Freedom Pledge. The signatories, including actors and producers John Abraham, Dia Mirza, Pooja Bhatt, and Sunny Leone, committed to stopping the use of live elephants in their productions and adopting humane alternatives such as mechanical elephants, CGI, and VFX.
As part of the initiative, participating leaders shared video messages urging their industry colleagues to join the movement. John Abraham of JA Entertainment challenged his industry peers to sign the pledge, while Dia Mirza of One India Stories LLP nominated Dharma Productions. Sunny Leone, founder of Suncity Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, nominated actor Karan Kundrra.
Additional industry personalities taking part in the campaign include television producer Rajan Shahi of Director’s Kut Productions, who nominated producer Ishika Shahi; Rishina Kandhari of Rishina Kandhari Films, who challenged Haider Khan of Haider Khan Films; and Amin Khan of Purple Focus Pvt Ltd, who nominated Prashant Jha of IPF Communications.
Pooja Bhatt confirmed her commitment never to work with a live elephant in any project she produces, directs, or acts in, urging the broader fraternity to adopt mechanical options and digital effects instead of live animals.
Umang Sharma, Corporate Affairs Liaison for PETA India, stated that the campaign aims to encourage cruelty-free production standards across the entertainment sector. PETA India noted that mechanical alternatives are already being utilized across more than 40 temples in India, as well as in circuses, advertisements, safaris, weddings, and political rallies. Telangana recently became the first state to welcome a mechanical elephant for film shoots and events, housing it at the Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad under the Telangana Forest Department.
According to PETA India, elephants used in captivity are often separated from their matriarchal family herds as infants, kept chained for long durations, and subjected to physical control using hooked iron rods called ankushes. The organization stated that replacing live animals with mechanical models and computer imagery will prevent further animal exploitation in media.
