‘Gajraj’, the temple elephant, who was rescued on 14 June from a popular temple in Maharashtra’s Aundh after over 50 years of enslavement, arrived at his new home at the Wildlife SOS Elephant Care & Conservation Center (ECCC) in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh on Saturday.
The 63-year-old tusker was accompanied by Wildlife SOS veterinarians, paramedics, elephant caretakers and the rescue team on his 1,500 km journey in the ‘Elephant Ambulance’, reported TOI.
The rescue mission was initiated by Wildlife SOS with the aid of the local police, the forest department officials and district administration.
Gajraj belonged to the Queen of Aundh in Satara and was used in temple processions for over 51 years. As he grew old, the elephant began suffering from several medical issues, like foot abscess and partial blindness.
A medical examination revealed he needed medical attention for his toenail and hip abscesses as well as his foot pads.
The effort to rescue Gajraj has gone on for years. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) also launched a campaign to this end. Several celebrities, including Jacqueline Fernandez, Suniel Shetty and Sunny Leone had supported PETA's campaign for the animal's rescue.
According to PETA's Director of Veterinary Affairs Dr Manilal Valliyate, Gajraj is thought to have been captured from the wild in 1965, and then forced to make an 800-kilometre journey from Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh to Satara.
Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder Wildlife SOS said:
The advancing age of this elephant means he needs medical care more than anything else. We appreciate that the Queen of Aundh has handed over the elephant trusting Wildlife SOS.
Locals Turn Unruly as Gajraj Prepares to Leave
While the royal family of Aundh gave him a warm farewell, the local villagers become hostile and eventually unruly as Gajraj was getting ready to leave, said Wildlife SOS.
Here’s hoping Gajraj is happy in his new home!
(With inputs from PTI and TOI)
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