We are thrilled to report that Suzy, the blind circus elephant we told you about over the Holidays, has been rescued by our team! She is currently traveling by truck from Tirupati to our rescue centre in Mathura, a journey that will take several days. The team escorting her reports that she is doing well, and that she just enjoyed a snack of bananas and fresh grass while the humans enjoyed some chai, at their latest pit stop.
As you may know, Suzy is the very first circus elephant rescued in our new circus elephant campaign. Our intention is to facilitate the rescue of all 67… wait, make that 66!… remaining circus elephants in India.
We will have more details to share in the coming days, as we post updates on Suzy’s journey on this blog and on Facebook, but we didn’t want to delay before sharing the news of this heartwarming rescue with you… it’s one that YOU made possible and we are so grateful!
One down, sixty-six to go! To make the next rescue possible, please donate today. Thank you!
UPDATE – Feb 6th, 10 am IST: Suzy has traveled 500 Km so far! Suzy is doing fine and appears used to truck travel from her circus days. We had a slight diversion due to a minor accident, but it was uneventful and all is well.
UPDATE – Feb 6th, 3pm : Stopping for a break before entering Maharashtra! Suzy wants to stretch and is out of the truck and walking in the open fields. Our elephant caretaker walks along Suzy, making her feel safe and secure.
UPDATE – Feb 6th, 6pm : We were inching closer to Maharashtra when suddenly, uh-ho! One of our jeeps broke down! Luckily, we were prepared for such things so it took us just 20 minutes to replace the broken fan belt and now we’re back en route!
UPDATE – Feb 6th, 11 pm : Great news! The convoy has now entered Maharashtra! There has been a drastic change in the weather as we are heading towards North India which is under the final spell of winters.. 🙂 Sorry no pictures for now, as its too dark and we don’t want to trouble Suzy with the camera flash!
UPDATE – Feb 7th, 2am : The team has had a rough night. The route we are at is known for its high crime rate. Some goons even tried to stop our convoy but our drivers were aware that they just wanted to rob us and didn’t pull over. We’ve finally stopped now at a gasoline station and are going to spend the night here. It’s spooky out here.
UPDATE – Feb 7th, 10am : We are back on road and have just touched the 1000 km mark! While in the back of the truck, our care taker feeds Suzy her breakfast! We’ve also learned one thing today, Suzy prefers maize plantation over watermelons!
UPDATE – Feb 7th, 5pm : The convoy is moving at a slower pace cause we’re looking for Bananas for Suzy’s evening meal along the route. We bought papayas, but she doesn’t like that! Also, the team members laptops and mobiles don’t have any more battery left in them! Hope we can find a pit-stop soon!
UPDATE – Feb 7th, 10 pm : Suzy has been fed and everyone has charged their gadgets at a pit-stop. Phew! We are now about 1000 kms from our destination, Mathura! Time to change drivers. We will be driving through the entire night as we are on a safe route.
UPDATE – Feb 8th, 11 am : We’ve managed to drive all night long! We’re getting closer to Rajasthan now. Suzy has stepped out of the truck to stretch and have some fresh fruit snacks!
UPDATE – February 9th, 12:15 am – We have entered Rajasthan, and since it’s a bit cold we’ve given Suzy some warm blankets. Getting closer to home now…
UPDATE : Feb 9th, 10 am : Nothing passes time on a road trip like good snacks.. Just loaded the jeep with watermelons for Suzy! We’re now about 300 kms away from our destination.
UPDATE : Feb 9th, 3:30 pm : Great news! We’re about to reach the Elephant Conservation and Care Center, Mathura in about 5 hours now! Suzy already seems excited 🙂
UPDATE – Feb 9th, 7pm : Uh-no! The convoy has slowed down due to very bad roads. Extra fodder is being loaded for Suzy as a precautionary measure in case of further delay!
UPDATE – Feb 9th, 11pm : Our vehicle broke down and it’s very risky to drive in the night due to bad conditions of the road. We will leave early morning tomorrow. In the meantime, we made use of this opportunity and to let Suzy out of the truck to stretch and roll in the soft mud. We’re 150 kms away from Mathura!
UPDATE – Feb 10th, 10 am : We’re on our way and about to reach the Elephant Conservation and Care Center, Mathura!
LAST UPDATE – Feb 10th, 2 pm : Suzy has finally arrived at the Elephant Conservation and Care Center! The place she will call home, forever! 🙂
