Sri Lanka Friday ordered an investigation following the collapse of a skeletal 70-year-old elephant after performing days at a high-profile Buddhist pageant.

Tikiiri, one of 60 elephants who joined the Perahera Festival in Sri Lanka, was performing for days wearing elaborate costumes until earlier this week, images of her gaunt body without the costumes were shared by a Thailand-based animal rights group Save Elephant Foundation (SEF). The group shared the images to mark the World Elephant Day on Monday.

Tourism and wildlife minister John Amaratunga said that the elephant collapsed on Thursday after exhaustion, but the SEF group said a doctor had claimed the elephant was "strong and ok to walk."

Minister Amaratunga said he ordered wildlife authorities to investigate why the elephant continued working in a lengthy parade despite her failing health.

The minister said he had also instructed wildlife authorities to ensure there was no more such cruel treatment to some 200 elephants in captivity and routinely paraded at Buddhist temple festivals.

The Asian elephant is listed as endangered on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as the population has declined by at least 50 percent over the last three generations.

(Cover image via VCG)

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