Four rescued circus elephants experience freedom for the first time
The Nut Heard as they are fondly called is a group of 4 elephants that was rescued from a circus in Nanded in Maharashtra and are on their way to Haryana for rehabilitation. They, for the first time in their lives, experienced what it means to be a free elephant when they had their first dip in a water pool in Pune.
Four circus elephants aged 6, 12, 18 and 22 years were rescued by Wildlife SOS – a wildlife conservation organization from a circus in Nanded on the strength of a court order after the circus was derecognized by Central Zoo Authority, Government of India and their permission to use animals for performance was cancelled by Animal Welfare Board. A 10 member team from the Delhi based organization coordinated the elephant rescue operation at Nanded with the Police and the district administration. The elephants are on their way to the Wildlife SOS Elephant Rescue Center which is their final destination, where they will receive high quality veterinary care, a healthy diet, companionship, and everything they need to be healthy elephants.
The Moonlight Circus where the elephants were made to work had also recently made headlines when its owner and several officials were arrested on charges of rape and child trafficking. The Court in Nanded has issued orders for the four elephants to be shifted to the Wildlife SOS Elephant Rescue Center in Haryana. Team managing the journey decided to break journey at a transit facility in Pune to give the pachyderms a short break and recuperate for a short while before they embark on their final journey to Haryana. Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-Founder Wildlife SOS who was present during the entire rescue operation from the beginning said, “To see the rescued elephants free, wallowing in a pool is indeed gratifying. This is the first step in this long journey of rescuing India’s 67 circus elephants.
The four rescued circus elephants seem to be thrilled about their first bath in a pool! Catch this exclusive video of their very first bath. Baby peanut was the first one to go inside the pool and once she came out, Mac, Wally and Coco stepped in. The transit facility where the team and the four elephants will halt briefly has been provided by ResQ and Protecterra who are Pune based organizations. Geeta Seshamani, Co-founder of Wildlife SOS said, "who we worked while rescuing a blind elephant from Pune called 'LAKHI' a few weeks ago.” Neha Panchamiya of RESQ Pune said "I visited the Organization's elephant care centre in Mathura to observe and learn. The veterinarians and elephant care staff from Wildlife SOS are with the Nut Herd round the clock to ensure their safety & protection.”
The elephants enjoying a dip in a pool in Pune. Pooja Bhale of Protecterra Ecological Foundation, Pune said "We are glad to play a role in the freedom of these four circus elephants. I am overjoyed to see the elephants adjusting well to their new found freedom. Lakhi and now the nut herd are a wonderful learning for us all and we are honoured to help them get a better life.”
Wildlife SOS is one of the largest rescue and conservation charities in South Asia. www.wildlifesos.org
RESQ rescues and rehabilitates hurt and injured animals, conducts mass vaccination drives and conducts awareness and education programs to promote a safer urban eco-system in Pune http://www.resqct.org/
Protecterra Ecological Foundation (PEF) conscientiously works with several people, schools, corporates and individuals to enable action through education, awareness and outreach www.protecterraef.org