A worker sprays paint on a robotic elephant at a backyard workshop in Chalakudy, in the southern Indian state of Kerala, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
CHALAKUDY, India (AP) — In India’s southern state of Kerala, robotic elephants are replacing live ones at some temple festivals. Rising concerns about elephant abuse and dangerous incidents led to the change.
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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
Prasanth Prakashan, a mechanical engineer, poses in front of a robotic elephant at his backyard workshop in Chalakudy, in the southern Indian state of Kerala, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)A worker sprays a chemical on the trunk of a robotic elephant at a backyard workshop in Chalakudy, in the southern Indian state of Kerala, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)An unfinished robotic elephant stands alongside others at a backyard workshop in Chalakudy, in the southern Indian state of Kerala, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)A worker welds parts to build a robotic elephant at a backyard workshop in Chalakudy, in the southern Indian state of Kerala, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)Unfinished robotic elephants lie in a backyard workshop in Chalakudy, in the southern Indian state of Kerala, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)Rajkumar Namboothiri, the temple’s head priest, stands next to the robotic elephant Irinjadapilly Raman at the Irinjadapilly Sree Krishna Temple in Thrissur, in the southern Indian state of Kerala, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)A group of Hindu devotees arrive for prayers, walking past two robotic elephants at Irinjadapilly Sree Krishna Temple in Thrissur, in the southern Indian state of Kerala, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)Prasanth Prakashan, a mechanical engineer, walks past a robotic elephant manufactured by him that stands inside the compound of Cheekamundi Sri Mahavishnu Temple in Thrissur, in the southern Indian state of Kerala, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)Mahouts prepare elephants for participation in the elephant pageant, or Gajamela, held as part of an annual festival in Thiruvanvandoor, in the southern Indian state of Kerala, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)A motorist rides past decorated elephants during the elephant pageant, or Gajamela, held as part of an annual festival in Thiruvanvandoor, in the southern Indian state of Kerala, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)Mahouts feed elephants before they are taken for participation in the elephant pageant, or Gajamela, held as part of an annual festival in Thiruvanvandoor, in the southern Indian state of Kerala, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)Mahouts lead an elephant out of a temple compound to participate in the elephant pageant, or Gajamela, held as part of an annual festival in Thiruvanvandoor, in the southern Indian state of Kerala, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)Children play next to motionless Irinjadapilly Raman, a robotic elephant, at Irinjadapilly Sree Krishna Temple in Thrissur, in the southern Indian state of Kerala, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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A woman holds a fan in front of a bottle-fed baby at the Great American State Fair, during an extreme heat wave, Friday, July 3, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
