Champa was a begging elephant, also used for rides and processions, often seen walking for hours on the blazing hot tarmac of the Delhi-Agra National Highway during the scorching summer months. We first met her on the streets in Agra while rescuing dancing bears and were shocked to see her progressively deteriorate in health. She was severely lame and her limp and a huge abscess on her front leg became more pronounced each passing week. With the efforts of the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department she was finally rescued from a lifetime of servitude.
We like to remember her as the true matriarch of the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre, where she would be the first one to greet new elephants and make them comfortable at their new home. Champa is fondly remembered as the guiding force and the inspiration for our efforts!
Having lived more than fifty years of her life in fear and pain, performing in circuses, commandeered by brutal bullhooks time and again, blind and scarred Sita survived.
When she was rescued from the circus, she was severely malnourished with sunken temples, her front right limb fused owing to an old fracture that wasn’t allowed to heal.
Sita was rescued with her companion elephant, Mia, and their journey to the Wildlife SOS Elephant Care and Conservation Centre at Mathura took over a week as our team braved storms and lashing rain with her.
While Sita lived her life in abuse and neglect, she remained a calm and reserved elephant that had the mental strength and vigor to never give up. Sita is remembered by her best friends, Mia and Rhea as their matriarch and guide.
The unluckiest elephant in the world; Mohan was emaciated, gaunt and without hope when we first met him. This brave elephant had given up waiting for a miracle to happen. After suffering for over five decades in captivity, several failed attempts to rescue him and constantly thwarted by hostile mobs from giving him medical care, Mohan finally reached the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre in Mathura.
Mohan’s remarkable courage and resilience continues to inspire us. Curiosity marked this battered pachyderm’s every movement as he explored his new home. He ate everything as if it were too precious to be wasted. He enjoyed his long walks savouring mud baths, trees to scratch on, lifting his trunk at the scents the wind brought; soaking and splashing in the pool brought him the greatest joy of all. From Mohan we learnt the ability to forgive and then to live each moment as fully and intensely as he did.
Blinded brutally and used for begging on the streets of Maharashtra, she spent sixty years of her life being abused and tortured, suffering with severe dehydration and starvation at the hands of the man who controlled her. Wildlife SOS rescued her on a cold winter morning but when she reached the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre in Mathura, she was welcomed with the warmth and love that she needed by her soon-to-be dear friends, Asha and Suzy. Lakhi blossomed in her new surroundings and soon came to be known as the ‘banana thief’ as she grabbed every chance to steal her favorite fruits.
As Lakhi left her injured body that told tales only she would remember, her soul is always going to be around, reminding us and guiding us to take our cause to help elephants further.
Luna spent over fifty years of her life in captivity, begging on the streets suffering from her owner’s indifference to her wounds and failing health. The abuse she was subjected to broke her body and spirit; her hindlegs were deformed, she developed arthritis and oedema, she was in constant pain from her swollen joints. Relief finally came when the Forest Department handed her over to Wildlife SOS for medical treatment and care.
Although pain was a shadow that followed Luna everywhere, we like to remember her through the lighter moments that she was able to experience with us. Luna found a comforting friend in Holly who showered her with love. She enjoyed the warm winter sun and dust baths. At Wildlife SOS, for the first time Luna experienced comfort and kindness. When the end came Luna was surrounded by people who cared for her including her keepers, vets and her beloved Holly as she gently passed into the night in the arms of angels.
Bella’s story resonated with each and every one of us as she held on to dear life and fought like a warrior. At the age of 65 years, Bella had spent most of her life as a begging elephant who would spend her days walking on unnatural surfaces that pierced through her delicate footpads and caused her pain and discomfort.
Bella’s only chance at a pain-free life came when her body was covered with infected wounds, grave bed sores and an infected ulcer on her temple. From one side, Bella appeared to be a completely normal elephant but the other side of her body acquainted us all with the abusive reality that she survived.
A battered Bella worked with all the strength left in her body to sustain the 10 hour long journey from Sitapur to the Wildlife SOS Elephant Conservation and Care Centre in Mathura, secured with belts. The veterinarians administered medication to her grave injuries and administered pain medication to give her relief.
Bella was an extremely shy and calm elephant, in spite of being in excruciating pain, she would slowly walk around her enclosure and meticulously examine the soft mud under her torn and infected footpads. There is nothing that she enjoyed more than juicy apples, and nothing that she detested more than consuming oral medication!
As she breathed her last, she escaped a lifetime of abuse and pain, Bella taught us the true meaning of strength and resilience. We hope, each day, that she is surrounded by her favourite apple trees and runs wild wherever she finds peace!
With his frail structure, sunken temples and his tusks, Gajraj walked out of the temple for one last time and an overwhelming crowd of thousands of people, as he walked into the Wildlife SOS Elephant Ambulance to begin his journey to freedom. Gajraj was a gift to the royal family when the Queen got married and became a prized possession of the temple for over 50 years of his life.
When Gajraj took his timid steps to freedom at the Wildlife SOS Elephant Conservation and Care Centre in Mathura, he suffered from a serious condition of osteoarthritis and footpads torn to a point where there was a risk of infection to his bones! At the age of 70 years, Gajraj became the oldest elephant under our care and the most loved, indeed. Our veterinarians and elephant care staff curated a specialised geriatric care routine for him and he was rendered treatment for the grave abscesses on his hip, his cuticles and his toenails.
An extremely docile elephant, Gajraj would love relaxing mud baths in his enclosure and enjoyed munching on his favourite mangoes and sugarcanes. His demise brought us face to face with the worst thing of 2020 and reduced his keeper and the entire staff to tears. Even in his final moments, Gajraj rested on his mudbed, surrounded by the people who loved and cared for him.
We hope Gajraj watches over us, just as we look up to him, and his now-barren enclosure, remembering him for his grit, valour and vigour!
Abused as a begging elephant for over five decades and subsequently blinded from the beatings, Karma came to us with a litter of bullhook wounds on her body and fused joints in her hind legs. Despite this all, she maintained a calm demeanour when she took her first steps of freedom at the Wildlife SOS centre. The transformation in her personality from a stoic elephant to an affectionate one was brilliant, and she thrived after being introduced to her new friends Holly and Kalpana.
Karma loved rainy days and would trumpet in joy whenever she felt the lightest drizzle of rain. She enjoyed splashing in the pool and eating delicious watermelons, but most of all, she flourished in the company of her friends. In her final days, Karma’s caregiver was ever-present by her side, feeding her chopped-up watermelons while she underwent treatment. When she passed, Holly was inconsolable, letting out desperate trumpets to call for her
departed friend.
Even after facing years of abuse, Karma chose to be loving and compassionate. From Karma, we learn that there is true power and healing in friendships.
Asha spent the majority of her early years walking the harsh roads of Jaipur, giving tourist rides through the pink city. The majestic pachyderm experienced a severe fall on one such ride, injuring her right forelimb. Despite the dire injury, Asha received no medical attention and was forced to keep walking. Her forelimb became permanently deformed, giving her a limp and soon made her dispensable to her captors. Yet, Asha’s woes did not come to an end. She was illegally transferred to Indore, Madhya Pradesh, where her deteriorated body was pushed to the limit as a begging elephant. In 2015, Asha was rescued by Wildlife SOS from her life of misery.
With the love and medical care provided by our veterinary team and her caregiver, Asha blossomed into a joyous elephant. She would spend her days taking long dust baths, munching on jaggery and beetroot, and going for strolls next to the Yamuna river. Asha’s joyous spirit was so infectious that it transformed anyone it came into contact with. As luck would have it, Asha’s soaring spirit found Suzy and Lakhi, two blind elephants searching for a ray of hope. It took Suzy and Lakhi finding Asha to begin a new era in their lives, filled with compassion and healing.
While Asha spent her entire life healing others, her own body could not withstand the ravages of time. As Asha grew older, her physical condition deteriorated. On 23rd January, Asha passed away in her sleep. She died due to a culmination of senility, degenerative joint disease, and uterine pathology. We imagine Asha passed into the realm of angels, the realm we always knew she was from. The story of Asha’s life is, in fact, not about what we were able to give her, but about what she gave us – unconditional love and hope in the face of misery. We ask you to hold on to Asha as she continues to live in every wishful thought, in every act of kindness, in every feeling of hope that keeps us going.
Daisy, a partially blind begging elephant, endured unimaginable hardships throughout her life as one of the last captive elephants of Delhi. Her story is one of endurance and resilience, and serves as a reminder to remain unyielding, even in the face of great suffering. Daisy arrived at the Wildlife SOS’ Ch. Surinder Singh Elephant Rehabilitation Centre (ERC) in the summer of 2019 and changed our lives forever. Her body bore the physical scars of ankush wounds, but her spirit never wavered. Through immense physical therapy and veterinary care, she rediscovered what it meant to be an elephant in a safe and loving environment.
For over four years, Daisy flourished under the compassionate care of the ERC team. She roamed freely in the safety of her new habitat, surrounded by fellow rescued elephants who became her new family. She experienced the joy of long walks, dust baths, and the feeling of grass beneath her feet. With time, her physical scars faded too, and she lived out her final years in peace, surrounded by the gentle touches of her caregiver and the affection of her fellow elephants.
We are left with an unimaginable void in our hearts as Daisy crosses the rainbow bridge, but we hope that her final years with us were full of contentment and peace. Rest in peace, sweet Daisy.
Nina experienced a life of loneliness and agony as a begging elephant, a simple ornamental decoration at innumerable weddings, for six long decades. She was a prop in the midst of the festivities, shackled in chains, her pain hidden beneath a blank stare. Nina took her initial steps of freedom at the Elephant Hospital Campus on June 5, 2021, after sixty years in captivity, savouring the sensations of her new surroundings and finally feeling the kindness she deserved.
Despite Nina’s frailty and irreparable disabilities, we built a daily routine to provide her comfort and relief. Caregivers lavished her with pedicure treatments and baths. Nina graciously accepted our goodwill, returning us with loving rumbles that touched our souls. We loved seeing her happy dust baths and finding peace in the cooling respite they brought.
As Nina lay down for a final time, we knew that she wouldn’t summon the strength to rise again. The moment had arrived to bid our farewells. We remained by her side, showering her with love and ensuring her comfort until she peacefully passed, encircled by her fellow elephants. Her departure left an irreplaceable void in the hearts of all who had the privilege of knowing her. We will carry on with our life-saving mission, fueled by the memory of Nina’s quiet yet unyielding strength.
Suzy was chained to a life of performing unnatural stunts as a circus elephant. She endured immense abuse and exploitation for over 60 years, all of which were drowned out by the cheer of large crowds she would entertain each day. Severe neglect made a harsh impact on Suzy, leaving her completely blind in both eyes.
In 2015, when Suzy had reached the 65th year of her life, she was finally rescued from a circus in Andhra Pradesh, and became the eldest elephant under our care. Her first steps into the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre unfurled hope and positivity for her healing. Endearingly called “Paro” by her caregiver Baburam, Suzy found the warmth and tenderness she had long been denied, which brought a profound transformation to the malnourished elephant’s health. Suzy formed deep bonds with her companions Asha and Lakhi, sharing countless moments of bliss during their long walks and playful splashes in the pool. Considering her seniority and loss of molar teeth, a special “Suzy smoothie” was crafted for the geriatric elephant to consume her favourite fruits with ease. Despite lacking vision, Suzy would wield her trunk with remarkable dexterity to find and feast on her favourite fodder berseem that was filled within enrichments.
Suzy peacefully slipped into the arms of eternity after she suffered from multi-organ failure brought on by her advancing age. Despite the scars she bore from her past, Suzy leaves behind a legacy of unwavering resilience. As we bid farewell to Suzy, our hearts ache with the loss of a truly special spirit who reflected how important love is for healing.
