Emma
Year of arrival: 2021
Age at the time of arrival: 40 years old
Sex: Female
Recognisable features: Slight depigmentation on the borders of the ears, hole in the right ear due to piercing, light-coloured eyes with specs of green.
Health condition when rescued: Torn foot pads with presence of embedded debris; overgrown and cracked toenails, degenerative joint disease in forelimbs, chronic hip abscess on either side of her rump, poor body composition due to malnutrition
Facility: Elephant Hospital Campus (EHC)
Favourite food: Cabbage, cauliflower and sugarcane
Closest to: Maya and Phoolkali
Favourite activities: Napping on her mud bed under the sun, surveying her surroundings using her trunk
Background: Adorned with heavy, ornamental garbs, Emma was abused as a ‘begging’ elephant that spent most of her life walking on concrete surfaces and hot tarmac roads. Emma would be painted with bright colours to make her appear visually appealing. Upon being intercepted by the Jharkhand Forest Department, it was revealed that she had walked over 500 km with no valid documentation. Emma was transferred to the Wildlife SOS Elephant Hospital Campus for intensive care and treatment. | READ MORE ABOUT EMMA
emma’S STORY
The ordeal of walking on blazing tarmac roads, stone surfaces and narrow streets of towns for over four decades took its toll on Emma. Her health was never given any attention, even after Emma would keep lifting her weak, injured forelimbs to indicate the pain and discomfort she was experiencing. Her foot pads were torn thin with harmful debris collected in them, leading to necrosis that only intensified as no medical treatment came her way. To add to her misery, she was forced to consume alcohol by her abusive owner to alleviate her pain and continue the torment of walking.
Emma was being transported illegally across state borders when the Jharkhand Forest Department interrogated her owner to find that he held no valid documentation. She was also seen raising her feet, one after the other in quick succession, which raised another red flag for forest officials. The forest department reached out to Wildlife SOS to immediately transfer Emma to the Elephant Hospital for long-term intensive care. Shocking discoveries were made while examining the elephant at the site — the veterinary doctor found pebbles, metal scraps, broken glass and even rusted nails embedded in Emma’s delicate foot pads. In the meantime, the Elephant Ambulance was being prepared with necessary equipment such as blankets and sugarcane to provide comfort to Emma during the 1100-km journey to Mathura. Our elephant care staff gently coaxed the anxious elephant for three hours before she finally entered the vehicle. After covering two days and two nights of travel, Emma finally took her first steps to freedom at the Elephant Hospital Campus.
Emma required intensive foot care therapy after an X-ray indicated how deeply the debris was lodged. Along with this, she was rendered medicated foot soaks for her torn foot pads and wounded cuticles. Additionally, oral medication to manage pain and strengthen her joint muscles were administered. Emma soon revealed her playful spirit when she began tossing around the pillows created for her support! Her courage to establish trust with caregivers after facing trauma in her past continues to astound us.