Search for: Gajraj

We had to say "goodbye" to our king today. Over the years, we have witnessed the heart-breaking departure of many of our beloved animals - but the passing of each of these precious souls reinforces that saying goodbye is never truly easy. It was a warm summer day in 2017 and an atmosphere of excitement lingered in the air at the Wildlife SOS[…]

The entire country may consider the months of May, June and July as “summer months” but for our grand, old tusker, Gajraj, this is the time for his favourite “mango months” as there is nothing that Gajraj enjoys more than devouring juicy mangoes! For Gajraj, the change of the season also made him enter the period of musth, which recently[…]

The summer of 2017 brought warm sunshine and an atmosphere of excitement that lingered at ECCC as the staff was preparing to welcome elephant Gajraj, literally the King of Elephants, to take his first steps into a lifetime of freedom. Gajraj was given to the royal family of Aundh on the occasion of a wedding, and had since become an icon of[…]

Gajraj had lived nearly 70 years in captivity as a temple elephant. A routine day in his life involved walking uphill on tarred roads to the temple compound where he would then spend the rest of his day chained in the same spot. Years of walking on hot, unnatural surfaces led to the gradual degradation of Gajraj's footpads, wearing them so thin[…]

July 24 Update: Last week we held a ceremony to remove Gajraj's bell as a symbolic way to complete his journey to our Elephant Conservation and Care Centre (ECCC) in Mathura, ushering in his retirement and fully closing the circle on his previous life. In the photograph above, Kartick Satyanarayan smiles for the camera after removing the[…]

BREAKING NEWS! Gajraj, the 70 year old bull whose name literally means 'the king of the elephants' has finally been rescued! As he makes his journey from Aundh to reach the Wildlife SOS' Elephant Conservation and Care Center in Mathura along with our expert paramedics and rescue team, it will take them a couple of days to cover the 1500 kms[…]

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) ABOUT GAJRAJ ELEPHANT 1. Who is Gajraj — what’s his story? Gajraj is a 70- to 75-year-old bull elephant who was given as a wedding present to the Queen of Aundh Maharani Gayatridevi Bhagwantrao Pant Pratinidhi the day she married King Bhagwant Rao. Gajraj played a vital role in the celebration. Ever since, the […]

Cinema has the remarkable ability to transport us to distant worlds, to explore the depths of human emotions, and to shed light on the most pressing issues of our time. Films have always been a great medium to inspire or serve as a tool for societal change. They can also make the audience experience different kinds of emotions, expose them to new […]

Chhattisgarh, a jewel nestled in the heart of Central India, is nature’s treasure trove, where a plethora of wildlife thrives. Among the diverse inhabitants of this landscape stand the mighty Asian elephants. However, the presence of these gentle giants brings with it an unexpected challenge: human-elephant conflict. "These volunteers have[…]

Shirina Sawhney is the Advisor - Public Relations & Events at Wildlife SOS. With a passion for tigers and camouflage, she is the go-to person in the communications team whenever there’s a crisis. Though not originally from a wildlife background, she is a testament to the fact that knowledge can be gained at any stage of life, as long as you […]

Imagining the Futurefor Wildlife When you leave a legacy or planned gift in your will to Wildlife SOS, you’re helping to ensure a future of wildlife conservation and rescue. Because of your generous support, Wildlife SOS is making great positive changes in the protection of India’s elephants, bears, leopards and other precious wildlife.[…]

It seems not long ago that circuses across the country would be jam-packed with an audience ranging from toddlers to older people who would eagerly anticipate a jumbo wearing colourful jackets walking into the performing area to stand on its two legs or lift a human up with their dexterous trunks! By the end of the show, when everyone would have[…]

Prahlad’s journey with Wildlife SOS started four years ago along with Sita who was rescued from a circus in Tamil Nadu and brought under our care at the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre. Wildlife SOS also rehabilitates former elephant mahouts giving them opportunities to learn to care for the animals they work with by applying ethical and[…]

Earlier this week, the Wildlife SOS team in Agra joined hands with Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to host a veterinary training and health management workshop for government veterinarians from the northern state of Uttarakhand. The workshop aimed at improving technical field expertise and understanding of various wildlife health issues and[…]

Dreams can become reality — and our elephant Field of Dreams is officially open! It's been a long two years acquiring the land, building out the big elephant enclosures, sculpting the nature trails, and so on, but finally, this past weekend, the Field got its first two permanent residents: Raju and Gajraj! As of now they are busily exploring[…]

An Indian stage and film actor, Jim Sarbh, with his riveting on-screen presence has recently exposed his latent love for animals. With his concern for wildlife conservation, the actor supported Wildlife SOS’ cause by volunteering at the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre, Mathura and the Agra Bear Rescue Facility. The actor spent five days[…]

Bollywood actor Sidharth Malhotra first discovered the heartbreaking reality of the lives of India’s captive elephants through the story of one such elephant – Gajraj. A nationwide campaign for Gajraj’s freedom from his life as a captive elephant, highlighting his desperate need for immediate veterinary intervention, moved the actor and he[…]

Sonu joined Wildlife SOS seven years ago, when his elephant Rajesh was rescued from the circus and brought to our Elephant Conservation and Care Centre, the first tusker in our care. As part of Wildlife SOS’ holistic approach to conservation and rescue, the elephant’s former mahouts are offered jobs at our centres to not only provide them an[…]