Cuddalore (Tamil Nadu), Dec 29 (IANS) A captive elephant and a camel forced to beg by their owners were rescued and sent to a zoo here Monday, the police said.”The animals were sent to the Chennai Zoo (200 km north of here) and their owners have been detained for questioning,” an official said.

According to the official, ‘cash gifts’ from tourists amounted to over Rs.1,000 per day. The money was mostly pocketed by the owners and rarely spent on feeding the wildlife.