It took the Forest Department and Wildlife SOS 36 hours to rescue a 50-year old tusker near Gosaiganj in Uttar Pradesh. Having spent nearly five decades in the hands of wildlife traffickers, the elephant is now safe at the Wildlife SOS Elephant Conservation and Care Centre in Mathura.
Coerced into submission
Used for commercial events, wedding processions and even begging, the elephant had been coerced into submission using intimidation, violence and punishment. The tusker was, in fact, kept tied to spiked chains, beaten and starved.
“Around 50 years old, the tusker weighs nearly 3.5 tonnes. A medical examination revealed that the elephant was severely malnourished with wounds on its legs, elbows, foot pads and even the tail. Its feet are in a terrible condition with overgrown toenails and inflammation. The elephant is also partially blind,” said Kartick Satyanarayan of Wildlife SOS. He added that 98% of the wild Asian elephant population has been lost to poaching and habitat destruction.
Subject to extreme abuse
Divisional Forest Officer (Ambedkar Nagar) Ashok Shukla said: “We complied with court directions to ensure the safety of the elephant, which has been transferred to the Wildlife SOS Elephant Conservation and Care Center.”
“Within minutes of stepping into the centre, we could see a change in the elephant’s behaviour. This shows the extreme abuse it was had faced,” said Geeta Seshamani of Wildlife SOS.
