Scores of elephants had been taken to a camp in the southern state of Tamil Nadu in an attempt to make them less stressed and healthier.

But some of the elephants had to be literally dragged in and out of the transporting trucks as they found the exercise unfamiliar, a unnamed forest official told the Tamil-language Dinamalar newspaper.

Following the reports, the environment and forests ministry in New Delhi said elephant transportation should be halted until they had reviewed it, the Press Trust of India news agency said.

The ministry also asked the Tamil Nadu government for a report on the issue.

Some 55 captive elephants had already been taken to the Mudhumalai forest, officials said.

But one animal was taken off the trip after it suffered a paralytic stroke while another would simply not mount the truck, despite severe punishment, the newspaper said.

Most of the animals either work in temples, ferrying images of Hindu gods and pulling temple chariots, or are owned by private trainers who use them as labour in forests.

The "health camp" was the brainchild of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha Jayaram following reports that some elephants had harmed trainers due to frustration and loneliness and that some were being used for begging in the streets.

"Many elephants lead hard and lonely lives attending to their tough chores for several hours in a day, leading to their turning foul on the people at times. The camp would help rejuvenate their health and sooth their tempers by giving them rest and relaxation," a trainer at the camp told the newspaper.

India has an estimated 33,000 remaining elephants -- a quarter of the 19th-century population -- and many are put to work in construction, logging, security patrols and other businesses.

Animal rights group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), has accused Indian state governments of routinely exploiting the animals.

In India, at least 42 people have been killed or injured in the last five years by elephants.

TERRA.WIRE