Crushing photos show emaciated elephant forced to perform during festival in Sri Lanka

Heartbreaking images of a severely malnourished elephant forced to perform during an annual festival in Sri Lanka have caused international outrage and reignited debate over the majestic creatures' frequent mistreatment in captivity.

Photos of Tikiiri, an elderly elephant who is kept at the Tooth temple in the city of Kandy, went viral after the Save Elephant Foundation shared them on Facebook Tuesday to mark World Elephant Day.

According to the animal-rights group, Tikiiri is one of 60 elephants forced to walk in the yearly parades for 10 straight nights amid noise, smoke and fireworks to celebrate the Perahera Festival, or Festival of the Tooth, meant to pay homage to the sacred tooth relic of Buddha.

"She walks many kilometers every night so that people will feel blessed during the ceremony," the organization wrote. "No one sees her bony body or her weakened condition, because of her costume. No one sees the tears in her eyes, injured by the bright lights that decorate her mask, no one sees her difficulty to step as her legs are short shackled while she walks."

Photos of Tikiiri and the festival:

"For a ceremony, all have the right to belief [sic] as long as that belief does not disturb or harm another," the Save Elephant Foundation posted. "How can we call this a blessing, or something holy, if we make other lives to suffer? To love, to do no harm, to follow a path of kindness and compassion, this is the Way of Buddha. It is time to follow."

The skeletal appearance of the pachyderm sparked anger on Facebook, where many users called for Tikiiri, as well as her fellow enslaved elephants, to be rescued and rehabilitated.

"Someone who is in a position to give peace kindness and care to this beautiful elephant in her last remaining days please act quickly and responsibly," one woman wrote.

"To have this beautiful creature treated and used in such a despicable way shows that humans really do think they are the superior race," chimed in another. "This girl should be given somewhere safe to live in comfort with everything she needs to live out her days. This has got to stop."

The treatment of elephants in captivity, particularly those used in the "elephant tourism" industry, has long been a hotly scrutinized matter.

A 2017 study, which was carried out by World Animal Protection, assessed almost 3,000 elephants living in captivity across Southeast Asia and found that more than three quarters were living in "severely cruel" conditions, the BBC reports.

Many were routinely bound by chains less than 10-feet long and were forced to stand on concrete floors near loud roads and music while being ridden, used as a backdrop for selfies and forced to entertain tourists.

As a result, multiple travel companies, like TripAdvisor, have stopped ticket sales to venues offering elephant attractions.