MUMBAI – Bollywood stars are campaigning to end the use of elephants in Indian films, saying that life-size robot replicas and AI-generated images do the job without cruelty.

Top directors, producers and actors have backed the campaign by animal rights group PETA India, which in June highlighted how the rise of slick AI images provide even less reason to use real animals.

“Elephants shouldn’t suffer for our entertainment,” said A-list actor and producer John Abraham, describing why he and more than two dozen stars were supporting the campaign.

“With today’s technology, we can bring elephants to life beautifully through computer-generated imagery (CGI) and mechanical artistry, without confinement or cruelty,” he said.

There are fewer than 50,000 Asian elephants in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund – the majority in India, with others in Sri Lanka and South-east Asia.

There are more than 2,600 captive elephants in India, according to environment ministry estimates. They are used for tourism, entertainment, and in temples.

PETA told AFP captive elephants are “separated from their families, kept near-constantly chained and are controlled with weapons”.

India’s Animal Welfare Board must give permission for elephants to be used in films.

The number of real elephants being used have dropped dramatically since its 2021 order that it was “advisable” that special effects or animatronics be prioritised “to prevent unnecessary pain and suffering to animals”.

Now PETA campaigners are highlighting how AI-generated images, showcased in a social media campaign in June, provide increasingly lifelike images.

“Elephants are highly intelligent, emotional animals who require living free in lush jungle homes for their mental and physical wellbeing,” it said.

“In contrast, elephants us...