So sad! Herd of elephants, including babies, feed on rubbish at dump

Animal rights activist have been left sickened by the images, which were filmed close to a nature reserve in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. At least nine Asian elephants can be seen

hunting through the dump in the town of Devala. Following a public outcry, authorities have vowed to take action. Wildlife activist N. Bala said: "The civic bodies have been dumping the

garbage at this private property spread over 3,000 acres adjacent to Mudumalai Tiger reserve. "Though this [the dump] is neither inside the tiger reserve nor any reserve forest, the

animals don’t know any boundaries. The problem is the piles of plastic. "If we segregate at source, then we won’t have such a major issue." The heartbreaking video shows at least

two infants making their way through the dump, escorted closely by the rest of their herd. The 26-second video was uploaded to the internet by a local journalist, who later said: "The

National Green Tribunal Bench, India’s apex court for environmental issues, has granted an injunction against dumping garbage at that spot. "But it has failed to expedite the process of

clearing the rotting garbage that attracts elephants and other wildlife. "Amid public uproar, the civic body has woken up to the situation and has promised to segregate the waste at

source." Eating waste can be potentially fatal to elephants. Asian elephants, like their African counterparts, are endangered species. According to the World Wildlife Fund, while

poaching is not as severe a threat to Asian elephants as it is to African elephants, they are still killed for their tusks, meat and skin. India, Vietnam and Myanmar have all banned the

capture of elephants but the shameful practice still occurs.