Emma

EMMA'S RESCUE 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, and so, Emma developed the habit of lifting her weak, injured forelimbs to manage the pain and discomfort she was experiencing. Her delicate footpads were torn thin with pebbles, metal scraps, broken glass and rusted nails, and she developed a 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 raising her feet, one after the other, in quick succession, which indicated that she was in unbearable pain. The forest department reached out to Wildlife SOS to immediately transfer Emma to the Treatment Unit for long-term intensive care. A preliminary team, consisting of a veterinary doctor, was shocked to find nails, pebbles and shards of glass embedded in Emma’s delicate foot pads. In the meantime, the Elephant Ambulance was being prepared with necessary equipment, which included blankets and sugarcane, for the 1,100-km long journey to Mathura. Our elephant care staff coaxed an anxious Emma for three hours before she finally entered the vehicle. After two whole days and nights of travelling, she finally took tender steps to freedom at the Treatment Unit. 

Emma required intensive foot care therapy after an x-ray indicated the presence of debris. Along with this, she was rendered medicated foot soaks for her torn footpads and wounded cuticles. Additionally, oral medication to manage pain and strengthen her joint muscles have been administered. Emma’s courage has astounded us — she naps during her treatment and even plays around with her support pillows!