In January 2020, a wildlife elephant was captured by Kapilash Zoo in in Dhenkanal district in Odisha because of man-animal conflict. The jumbo, Rakesh, is said to have killed over six persons. So its four legs were tied to the ground. He constantly tried to free himself from the chains, which resulted in deep wounds on his legs. They then began treating the wounds but the elephant just became more aggressive.
Now they have confined him in a kraal (an enclosure), with no space to even move. They feed him very less food and water, so that he is always hungry. This way they can make him surrender to the commands of the humans. This is like breaking his spirit, to make him a man’s slave.
Rakesh has suffered a lot in zoo captivity for no mistake of his own and he is yet to get justice.
I, a wildlife enthusiast, have written to the Central Zoo Authority and even sought intervention by Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI). I have reached out to the Forest department of Odisha and Project Elephant requesting that he be moved to a sanctuary, but I haven’t received any response till date.