Forty-year-old ailing elephant Kalpana has found a friend in legendary Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan whose Facebook post about the arrival of this blind and lame elephant at the Wildlife SOS Elephant Hospital in Mathura, received support from across the world. It also drew people’s attention to the plight of captive elephants in the country.
“In a generous act of kindness and compassion, the actor wrote in support of Kalpana, a begging elephant, who was rescued from captivity,” noted a release issued by Wildlife SOS on Tuesday.
The group which works for the welfare of animals noted that Kalpana’s story is a representative of the life of nearly 2,500 elephants in India, who live a horrific life in captivity in circuses, temples and at the mercy of people who use them to beg on the streets, for weddings or give joy rides to tourists.
Actor’s post
“These elephants are mostly blind, lame, live in isolation and suffer extreme stress and abuse. They are trained using spears, spiked chains and bull hooks that instil severe pain and fear to break the animal’s spirit. To ensure an elephant can give tourists rides, they are beaten almost everyday,” it said.
Amitabh Bachchan reposted a Facebook post by Wildlife SOS, expressing the following, “Worked towards saving another elephant in dire state... there is a great joy and satisfaction in giving them the joys and benefits of a normal living.”
Cruel treatment
“Kalpana has been a victim of cruel commercial exploitation and has been suffering for nearly four decades before Wildlife SOS learnt about her situation. She was forced to give tourists rides and suffered new bouts of cruelty with every change of hands, when she would be sold to a new owner,” noted the release.
Meanwhile at Wildlife SOS Elephant Hospital, Kalpana now has a soft mud and straw bed, and a dedicated team of experienced elephant vets and care staff. She is now getting ready for X-rays and other tests to assess her health status. Following this, the Wildlife SOS veterinary team will develop an intensive treatment plan for her.
Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are India’s heritage animal and also endangered and protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. India currently has a population of about 22,000 to 25,000 elephants in the wild. Ten decades ago, the elephant population was 1 million indicating a loss of 98% of the wild population.
