Shocking footage has emerged of an elephant being savagely beaten by its Indian captors who work in the tourism trade.

The docile mammal can be seen with one of its front legs tied to a tree as three men take it in turns to beat it with canes, breaking one of its hind legs.

Having taken a pounding, the elephant collapses to the ground, but it does not deter its tormentors who continue to lash the animal until their weapons snap.

The beating is a regular occurrence in India, with elephant keepers caning animals coming out of the mating season to remind them who is in charge.

Three Indian thugs can be seen stood over the collapsed elephant after they broke its leg

The elephant tries to get to its feet (left) but its captor (right) ensures that it cannot get up

Two men with sticks savagely beat the defenceless elephant. It was beaten so hard the men's canes snapped in two

Animal charity Save The Asian Elephant's (STAE) CEO Duncan McNair told MailOnline: 'This horrific brutality filmed in India by an undercover supporter of STAE is another variation of torture called ketti azhikkal, intended to remind the elephant after coming out of musth - period surrounding mating where testosterone gets very high - of its human domination.

'The elephant was beaten so badly it's leg was broken, as were all the sticks used in the beating.

'The whole of humanity is shamed by this depravity to an innocent creature and a highly endangered species.

'It does all it can to obey yet the beating continues.'

The beating, the aftermath of which is seen here, is a regular occurrence in India, with elephant keepers caning animals coming out of the mating season to remind them who is in charge

Animal cruelty sympathisers said it was needed to 'control' the animals who were kept to perform shows for tourists

The video was shared online which prompted some people to come forward to defend the brutal beating.

Animal cruelty sympathisers said it was needed to 'control' the animals who were kept to perform shows for tourists.

But Mr McNair urged visitors to shun the industry in order to protect the elephants.

He said: 'The response to STAE is overwhelming and unanimous in its outrage.

'All expect our government to act now, to tell Indias PM Narendra Modi to act, but also that we must require the UK travel industry to stop sending any tourists to unethical Asian elephant holidays where their wild nature is "broken" such that they will submit to unnatural tourist activities like riding, painting, football, tightrope walking and other close contact.'