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“The natural state of motherhood is unselfishness. When you become a mother, you are no longer the centre of your own universe. You relinquish that position to your children” - Jessica Lange The same can be said for animals. When it comes to teaching their children how to hunt, how to protect themselves and how to play, animal mothers are[…]

As a knowledge sharing effort, a team of veterinary officers working in the field of livestock development recently visited the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre (MLRC) in Maharashtra for a training workshop. Organised with the help of the Yashada Training Centre in Pune, the workshop’s intention was to coach the group of veterinarians on[…]

On 23rd January, our ever-shining ray of Hope, Asha (meaning hope in Hindi), bid us farewell. The Elephant Conservation and Care Center that once reverberated with Asha's loud trumpets and the laughter of her caregiver, Babu Lal, fell silent. As Asha left, she took a piece of all our hearts with her. Yet, what she left behind was a pivotal lesson […]

While Northern India is slowly feeling the drop in temperatures and longing for warmer weather, the mood at the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre in Mathura is quite the opposite. For our resident elephants winters is a time for warm oil massages, sun-bathing, long walks and mud baths, and Asha is no different! She enjoys going on her daily[…]

The blow of an ankush, the loud command of an unfriendly voice and the end of a short slumber – that is what summed up a normal day for Asha as a riding elephant at the Amer Fort, in Jaipur. While adored and appreciated for the royalty and the beauty, the Fort holds dark truths of elephants’ joyrides that involve the brutal process of taming a […]

Hussain Basha has been working with Wildlife SOS for 12 years now and is currently based out of the organization’s Bannerghatta Bear Rescue Center. Sloth bears being his favorite species, it gives him immense pleasure to be able to look after them and take care of their well-being.   How did you start working with Wildlife SOS? I joined[…]

February 2015 brought three new elephants to the Wildlife SOS family, each with a painful history of abuse in captivity, and each with a wonderfully unique personality that made it impossible not to love them instantaneously. Suzy, Asha and Lakhi formed a herd soon after the trio arrived at the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre, despite never […]

After 46 long years of being chained and leading a life of suffering, Asha was freed on 20th February, 2015 by Wildlife SOS with the cooperation of the Forest Department. She is currently being escorted to her new home by a ten member expert team from the Wildlife SOS Elephant Care Center including three veterinarians and several animal care staff […]

Asha is a female elephant aged approximately 46 years who has been used for elephant rides in Amber fort, Jaipur all her life. Once injured and forced to climb the steep trudge up the Amber fort she was sold to be a begging elephant. Adding to her pain and misery, she was later smuggled to Indore to a new owner with illegal documents who did not[…]

We human beings are highly emotional creatures. We can explain what we feel through our facial expressions, body language and verbal communication.  But have you ever wondered if animals too have feelings or emotions? If they do, do they show it? And if so, how? Since we cannot go up to them to ask them, the question of animals having[…]

Nisha’s life began in a world that wasn’t natural for a wild leopard cub. Instead of a sheltered den in the forest, Nisha and her sibling Usha were born under the aegis of Maharashtra forest officials after their mother, Asha, had been rescued from human-wildlife conflict. Far from the wilderness, rearing of the cubs could not include the[…]

The months of October and November have the Wildlife SOS’ anti-poaching squad Forest Watch focused on apprehending owl traders around the festival of Diwali. The routine hustle and bustle at the Wildlife SOS-GSPCA (Gujarat Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) headquarters in Vadodara came to a standstill when the rescue helpline[…]

Do animals have emotions? The question has riddled many minds over the centuries. Art, literature, and cinema have often depicted various animals with an ability to demonstrate emotions just the way humans do. This is largely due to our tendency to anthropomorphise animals, but interestingly, research has shown that animals actually do have a[…]

Leopards are the most adaptable of all big cats. Their size and stealth allow leopards to manoeuvre diverse topography. However with rising urbanisation, more and more felines are seeking out habitation in proximity to human spaces, leading to human-wildlife conflict. Locals near the Tata Communications Limited (TCL) guest house near Arvi had[…]

Elephants, often regarded as majestic creatures, possess more than just their imposing size and graceful presence. These gentle giants also demonstrate an impressive array of cognitive abilities that continue to astonish researchers and wildlife enthusiasts alike. From their social structures to their exceptional memory and problem-solving[…]

No one said that parenting is easy. If you think that we humans have it tough, then let's take a walk into the wild – where animals ranging from the largest elephant to the smallest tree frog are in a constant struggle to raise their offspring. For some of the animals, the familial duty ends right after giving birth. While certain avian […]

It is with heavy hearts and profound sadness that we bid farewell to Usha, a magnificent leopard who graced our lives with her presence. But in our musings, we cannot possibly forget that Usha has always been an irreplaceable part of a trio of kindred spirits — Asha, Usha and Nisha — who are bound by their shared life experiences. When we[…]

The history of circuses and their treatment of elephants is a dark and sordid tale that spans many decades. For animals, bright lights and loud noises of the circus ring are a far cry from their natural habitat. Magnificent creatures from the wild were thrust into a life of captivity and servitude, all for the sake of human entertainment and[…]

Just like summers, the onset of winters requires special and unique arrangements as the rescued animals under our care have to brace for changes in the weather. Northern parts of India get especially bone-chilling and the various Wildlife SOS rescue centres, therefore, have to pull all the tricks out of their hats for the animals to remain[…]

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Wildlife SOS Volunteer Awards 2022! All our volunteers are an invaluable part of the Wildlife SOS family, but there are some that have gone above and beyond in their support to protect the animals residing at our rescue centres. To commend their efforts, we highlight the work done by them by[…]

It was a tense yet hopeful winter afternoon in November 2021, when our team was preparing to rescue an elephant who had been battered by the absolute nadir of humanity. From there, it was a long journey to bring Pari home. Here, home refers to the Wildlife SOS Treatment Unit of the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre (ECCC) in Mathura. As[…]

Recognised as one of the world’s eight hotspots of biological diversity, the Western Ghats or the Western Mountain range in India hold immense ecological and cultural significance. These ethereal mountains run parallel to India’s western coast, around 30 to 50 kilometres inland. A part of these magnanimous mountains makes its way through the[…]

We often get confused when we hear the word ‘education’ since its textbook definition is one-dimensional. Most of us associate the process of learning within certain settings of schools, colleges and universities, but we tend to forget about the most important education centre of all – Nature. All of Wildlife SOS’ rescue and[…]

It is that time of the year when the people of India unwind and come together to celebrate. That’s right, it’s the time of festivals! As entire cities prepare themselves to host festivals, people enjoy this break from daily work as they get immersed in the festive spirit. Festivals bring joy, gaiety and euphoria, but this certain joie de[…]

For most of her life, Ginger was adorned with colourful chalk paint and made to walk on hot tarmac roads as a begging elephant. She was subjected to regular beatings, starvation, and a cruel apathy. Ginger lived under the constant threat of being beaten or prodded with a bullhook (ankush). Sheer brutality eventually led to her becoming blind.[…]

Circuses were once a common place to sight elephants. They were made to perform to entertain audiences. However, each elephant was subjected to physical torture and mental trauma while being trained and were kept under dire conditions. Coconut was a victim of these circumstances. In 2015, she was  rescued by Wildlife SOS from a circus in[…]

As Mother's Day comes along, we would like to take the time to highlight some of the most loving and daring mothers found in India's jungles. These moms are ready to risk it all; be it carrying their young ones on their backs, nursing them despite the harshest conditions, or even fighting tooth and nail for their offspring's safety! Nature is[…]

What else can make your day better, than a story – or rather a set of stories! Folktales or folklores are common in all cultures. These are generally fables which mostly originate in a community and are passed down through generations by word-of-mouth. Just like human societies, there are folklores related to wildlife and wild animals too. Let[…]

In 1903 Thomas Edison made a 60-second film aptly titled "Electrocuting an Elephant." The black and white film showcased the brutal electrocution of Topsy,  an Asian elephant that could no longer be managed by her owners. Her entire life, Topsy was a circus elephant used as a mere prop for the entertainment of humans. Even in her death, Topsy[…]

A wild Sloth bear cub trapped in a barbed-wire fence is an extremely worrisome image. But as soon as the news flew in that the cub was in distress, a rescue team immediately rushed to the location to the aid of the helpless cub. The one-and-a-half year old female bear had found herself in a perilous situation after getting caught in a[…]

In the cold month of December, the Wildlife SOS Rescue team set upon an arduous journey to the city of Hathras in Uttar Pradesh to rescue a blind and geriatric pachyderm. The team had received intel about the horrific abuse being inflicted on this frail pachyderm being used for begging. The elephant was being forced to live in a world where she[…]

Bats are magisterial creatures with Goliath-like wings who have various epithets attached to them - blood-sucking vampires, carriers of bad omen, and most recently spreaders of a lethal disease, Covid-19.  There is no scarcity of folktales and myths that villainize bats. Behind these veils of myths and superstitions that adorn the bat exists […]

Elephant herds are the living examples of the strongest familial relationships in the wild, each member of the herd has a role to play to ensure that the herd is safe. For an animal that thrives in the company of similar majestic beings, a life in captivity is nothing short of torture and injustice. This is precisely why, when rescued elephants,[…]

Known for their magnificent golden, speckled bodies and graceful hunting techniques, the Indian Leopard is a bewitching majesty in its own, right? Unfortunately, human intrusion such as habitat encroachment, rapid urbanization, and man-animal conflict has stripped them of their natural habitat. As we work together to help conserve the natural[…]

The elephant proudly holds the title of the largest living land mammal on the planet, which means that the weight of this responsibility rests on their strong limbs. Their body weight is divided on their forelimbs and hindlimbs in a 60 to 40 ratio. At first glance of their large feet, the wide nails and thick skin hide the intricate skeletal[…]

As maximum temperatures reach up to 47 degrees Celsius in parts of Uttar Pradesh, the team at the Elephant Conservation & Care Centre, Mathura have taken innovative measures to help the elephants beat that summer heat! At ECCC, all 28 resident pachyderms have access to their very own Jumbo swimming pools as well as water sprinklers that[…]

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It is believed that not all heroes wear capes, some of them don a green Veterinary scrubs and set out each day to ensure that the animals under our care are doing fine. The world calls them “veterinarians” but we call them “our wildlife heroes”! This World Veterinary Day, we take you on some exclusive insights from the veterinarians of […]

Year of rescue: 2017 Age at the time of rescue:5 months old Sex: Female Personality traits: Calm, reserved and laid-back Recognisable features: Smaller in size as compared to Maahi and Ankita Present health condition: Mithali undergoes regular medical check-up to keep a tab on his immunity Facility: Bannerghatta Bear Rescue[…]

62-year-old Erika’s history is shrouded in pain, agony and utter neglect – however, that hasn’t subdued her indomitable spirit in any way. If anything, this dauntless courage shines through every day that we’ve known her. From the exhausted, weak, and utterly malnourished elephant that roamed the dusty streets of Haryana to the tall,[…]

As the bright sunshine pierces through the dense fog and mist of the morning, our elephants can be seen pausing amidst their walks to bask under the sun at the Wildlife SOS Elephant Conservation and Care Centre. The month of December, with its unpredictable and delightful rainfall, prepared us all for a chilly winter that was lurking around the[…]

For the past eleven years Vitthal has called the Wildlife SOS Leopard Rescue Centre in Junnar home. In this past decade, the stoic and determined leopard has only gone from strength to strength. While giving us a coveted look into leopard psychology, Vitthal has also helped break some common archetypes of big cat behaviour – like his staunch[…]

In the words of Greek philosopher Plutarch - “….the elephant also is become man's plaything, and a spectacle at public solemnities; and it learns to skip, dance, and kneel.” We find ourselves agreeing most vociferously with the ancient historian. The use of these majestic animals by humans to their own advantage since time immemorial […]

“They say an elephant never forgets. What they don't tell you is, you never forget an elephant.” Anyone who meets Maya will heartily agree with the above statement. Once you interact with the exuberant pachyderm, it is impossible to forget her vivacity and joie-de-vivre. As she stands tall and proud munching on fresh, juicy sugarcane next[…]

With Arya’s arrival at the Wildlife SOS Elephant Hospital, there are now a total of 6 rescued blind elephants under our care. These elephants have endured brutality and pain, which caused irreversible damage to their body and mind. Severe malnutrition coupled with lack of timely medical treatment for eye injuries that were caused by repeated […]

Caring for over 30 rescued elephants, everyday that is spent caring for these gentle giants becomes the best opportunity for us to appreciate them. The way to a pachyderm’s heart is definitely through the stomach so over the last couple years, our team has been organising the annual ‘Jumbo Buffet’ in honour of Elephant Appreciation[…]

It is believed that everything that surrounds us imparts an important lesson, one way or the other. Surrounded by the pandemic, there has been a certain change of perception as we become a little more compassionate and conscientious to our environment and all its stakeholders. Each year, the 5th of September is celebrated as the Teachers’ Day,[…]

Taking care of big cats is not an easy task, especially for the leopards under our care as they have been rescued from situations of conflict or serious injuries and some even bear the brunt of separation from their mothers at a young age. What makes the care of these majestic leopards possible is the utmost dedication of their caregivers who are […]

We have all probably grown up with our parents having to chase us to finish that lone piece of broccoli or the bits of carrots that lay abandoned in our plates. Even at our schools, teachers would give us countless lessons on the importance of eating vegetables to gain strength and immunity. This holds true not only for us but also for the[…]

Our elephants have the chance at life once again, due to the care and compassion of our elephant keepers, who work day-in and day-out so that our elephants are comfortable and content. Of one such large-hearted man is Babu lal, Asha and Suzy’s keeper, who hails from a village near Palwal, Haryana and has dedicated their entire life into taking[…]

Mothers come in all shapes and sizes, while most of ours have two limbs, there are some special ones that walk the face of Earth each day, protecting their little ones and teaching them all that they need to know about how to survive.  We are, of course, talking about some of nature’s formidable animal mothers! They constantly balance the[…]

It may be your dream to ride an elephant, but it is an elephant’s worst nightmare to be ridden. Here’s what goes into making an elephant “rideable”: First, an elephant calf is captured from the wild, tearing it away from its mother and herd – as well as from any chance it has of a free, wild life. This is illegal and can be termed[…]

What a beautiful thing to have, imagination, and there is none stronger than that which is lent wings by a child’s whimsy and innocence. At the Children’s Art Fest 2020, a land of imagination was built by youngsters – they told stories capturing the essence of Wildlife SOS rescues, they stitched quilts for the elephants under the care of[…]

In the early hours of October 20, 2019, more than 40,000 enthusiastic runners took to the streets of Delhi to participate in the 15th Edition of the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon (ADHM) held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the National Capital. What began as an event in 2005 has now turned into a movement. It heralds a fitness revolution in the[…]

Prior to his rescue in 2006, Deva’s every day was a vicious flat circle. He would accompany his Kalandar master everywhere he went after all Deva was his only source of livelihood. This dependence as a means of earning money, however, came at a great mental and physical cost to this then 5-year-old bear. Snatched from his mother as a young cub[…]

With the temperatures sinking across North India, Wildlife SOS brings to their rescued elephants and bears, unique measures to brave the cold. The dawn of the winter season broke open with enhanced diet supplements and other unique measures to combat the chills. The elephants at Elephant Conservation and Care Centre were provided with blankets to[…]

Extending her support to save the Asian elephants, Miss Universe Great Britain 2018, Dee-Ann Kentish-Rogers appealed to supporters and wildlife enthusiasts to save India’s heritage animal and contribute to the efforts of wildlife conservation. Supporting the cause of Wildlife SOS, Miss. Kentish-Rogers visited the Wildlife SOS Elephant[…]

The month of July started on a very sad note for the Wildlife SOS family, as we suffered an unexpected loss in the form of our beloved bear Akbar.  A little over 26 years of age, he lost his long fight against severe pulmonary Tuberculosis and liver dysfunction. Often referred to as “The Angry Old Man” by our bear keepers, Akbar’s[…]

My friends rode an elephant and said it was an amazing experience – what’s so terrible about it? It may be your dream to ride an elephant, but it is an elephant’s worst nightmare to be ridden. Here’s what goes into making an elephant “rideable”: First, an elephant calf is captured from the wild, tearing it away from its mother and[…]

The Times Women’s Drive, an initiative of the Times Group, is an annual three-day women’s driving competition that aims to celebrate the untamable spirit of Indian women. The all women-rally is an expression of solidarity of women for various social causes and their zest to create social awareness through friendships and bonds developed along[…]

Winter had barely left Mathura in February 2015 when Lakhi arrived at the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre – she was over 60 years old, a blind former-begging elephant rescued from the streets of the city of Pune. She seemed timid, and nervous – blindness is an added burden for captive elephants that can never really tell where the next[…]

Nakul and his brother Kuber were barely a few months old when they were rescued from Tumkur district, Karnataka in 2011. Poachers had killed their mother who was trying to simply defend her babies. They were planning on smuggling the cubs out of the state but had to forfeit the plan and run off own their own before our team and law enforcers[…]

Kasthuri was rescued from a Kalandar settlement in West Bengal in 2007. She was only six months old at the time but had already been subjected to immense abuse and cruelty. As part of her indoctrination as a dancing bear, a red hot iron poker was forcibly pierced through her soft muzzle and a rope was then strung through the fresh wound. The[…]

Nearly every elephant in captivity has been caught from the wild, snatched from its family and mother by ruthless poachers – and then enslaved for the entirety of its life. The exploitation of elephants is not only horrifying in terms of the mental and physical impact it has on individual elephants in captivity, but also the extreme detrimental[…]

In April 2015, 6 year old Peanut  became the youngest elephant ever to be rescued by Wildlife SOS. Peanut was part of a group of four young elephants that had spent the entirety of their lives performing in a circus in the Indian state of Maharashtra. When not being made to perform demeaning and often dangerous tricks for the amusement of the[…]

With the summer of 2015 came warm sunshine and big changes at the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre, Mathura – as not one, but four, new elephants made their way to their forever home at the Wildlife SOS rescue centre in northern India. Travelling all the way from the west Indian state of Maharashtra, these four elephants were not just the[…]

What is musth?Musth is a completely natural phenomenon seen in healthy adult bull elephants, both tuskers and makhnas (tuskless bulls). Generally characterised by the secretion of a hormone rich substance called temporin from the temporal gland (on either side of the elephant’s head) and a steady trickle of urine down the back legs of the[…]

She’s so tiny, it’s hard to spot her amidst the towering figures of the other elephants in the Herd of Hope. Slowly but surely navigating her way through the herd and across the topography of the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre, with the tip of her trunk running close to the ground and guiding her, she ambles along with the herd,[…]

For Wildlife SOS, 2015 had its fair share of highs and lows, and brought with it all the memorable, pulse-racing moments of a busy year well-spent. Our teams, spread across India, are linked by a very special cause- rescuing wildlife in distress and bringing them to safety. These are the top 15 rescues we pulled off in 2015, thanks to your[…]

Causing stiffness, swelling and sometimes unbearable pain in the affected joints, arthritis affects a sizeable number of people in the world, hindering their mobility and everyday activities, and causing them immense discomfort and pain. Living with arthritis can be unimaginably difficult, and studies have shown that the resulting pain and[…]

The United States Ambassador to India, Mr. Richard Verma, and his wonderful family stopped by the Agra Bear Rescue Facility and Elephant Conservation and Care Centre on Sunday to spend an entire day with the rescued animals on site. The Ambassador and his family started their visit by meeting the staff at the Agra Bear Rescue Facility and taking a […]

Amer Fort,a popular tourist attraction in the city of Jaipur, Rajasthan is known for its breathtaking palaces, forts, ambience and scenic beauty. The fort is set high atop a hill overlooking the city and stands as a proud reminder of the building skills of yesteryears. One can either walk up the hill or take elephant rides to the fort, the latter[…]

Suzy is a blind performing elephant that has suffered a lot of neglect at the circus where she was forced to perform. She was chained most of the time with little or no exercise. Suzy is approximately 60 years old and it is evident from her stereotypic behavior that she was subjected to mental torture and continuous chaining & confinement.[…]

Wildlife SOS celebrated a Wildlife Week in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department at the Van Vihar National Park, Bhopal, from October 1 to October 7, 2014; an effort by the Delhi based non-charity organization to sensitize the people of Bhopal about the diverse wildlife they co-exist with. The State Forest Minister of Madhya[…]

By Aishuwarya Sudarshan It was a very cold day at the gardens of Srinagar, in Kashmir; the gardeners were working in the grounds, raking out fallen leaves around the tulips, the famous tulips of the Cheshmashahi gardens to which thousands of tourists flocked each day with their cameras and appreciative exclamations. The horticulture department of […]

By Aishuwarya Sudarshan Wildlife SOS had promised the head of the Astanpura village, which is located in the Brane-Nishat conservation reserve that they would deliver some First Aid Kits in the village, because of the causalities caused by wild animals. It wasn’t the first time we had visited the village; last time we were there we bumped […]

Its hard to accept that we belong to a species “humans” that is the most destructive of all species. As evidence of this we have the sad and brutal massacre of an innocent Leopard in Faridabad, just outside Delhi–the National Capital that made the mistake of sitting on a tree !This brutal and mindless attack and the high levels[…]

In a pioneering effort, a five-member team of surgeons performs a six-hour dental surgery to ease the pain on two tigers from Bannerghatta National Park a team of five surgeons needed close to six hours and plenty of courage to complete a root canal on a patient. They exchanged hi-fives, sported wide grins and were thrilled. What’s the big[…]

The creation of the third Bear Rescue Centre in India, in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department fructifies Wildlife SOS' attempt to put an end to the cruel practice of dancing bear in the state. Our third Bear Rescue Centre in Central India started in the Van Vihar National Park, Bhopal is now home to 17 ex-dancing bears. These[…]

On 28 December 2008, 52 rehabilitated kalandar families took firm steps forward to create richer and better lives for themselves. It was a very promising day for wildlife conservation in India as the entire Kalandar community in Naya Basera, Bhopal renewed their pledge to empower themselves with help and support from Wildlife SOS. With support[…]