Meet Sunder, Animal Rahat’s New Elephant Patient
As you may know, Animal Rahat veterinarians have been treating two sorely neglected elephants: Ram Prasad, who belongs to some stubborn and insensitive temple trustees and is used for ceremonial purposes, and Gajraj, an older tusker. As of last month, thanks to the team’s diligence, they have now taken on a new elephant patient named Sunder, a very sad case indeed.
Sunder is 13 years old, a young juvenile boy, and has spent the past six years chained inside a dismal shed at a temple in Kolhapur. His previous mahout (handler) grossly abused him, and Sunder bears the scars to prove it. He now has a new mahout, with whom the Animal Rahat vets have made it a top priority to try to develop a good rapport, but the mahout, believe it or not, is afraid of Sunder and has never taken him off the chains, not even for a walk.
The temple authorities resisted giving the Rahat team access to Sunder, but they were able to succeed through a combination of Dr. Sudheesh’s impressive military credentials and because one of Animal Rahat’s ambulance drivers is related to a priest in the temple. It’s all who you know!
After examining Sunder, Rahat’s vets determined that he was anemic and dehydrated and has proptosis (bulging) of one of his eyes, probably because of head trauma, most likely from being severely beaten for being mischievous as a youngster. Thanks to the support of caring people like you, there is hope for the first time ever for Sunder, and time is of the essence. If Animal Rahat does not get him proper care now, he will suffer unimaginably when he goes into musth (breeding rage). Vets have embarked on a solid plan to improve Sunder’s living conditions—the immediate priorities are to get him out of his dark and damp enclosure, establish a decent watering system, get the mahout to walk him daily, and improve the amount and quality of his food. What Animal Rahat will ultimately try to do is get him away from there, but that mountain is a high one to climb.
TAGS: elephant, Kolhapur, Sunder, temple
It was really disheartening to hear about sunder being kept captive ina dark room and chained all the time …… just cant imagine a life like that for anyone.. i really wish animal rahat succeeds in getting him away from the temple ..
Is there anybody I can write to and perhaps get others people to write to to get this elephant freed.?
Wh owns the elephant and who owns the temple – can we not put pressure on his owners to release him to an elephant reserve?
Please, help Sunder quickly, don’t wait anymore.
Please love him and help him. None else has.
Please post the latest updates regarding Sunder. How is he? Has he been rescued from his pathetic living conditions? How far along are Animal Rahat in their plan?
Why cant finally the human being understand that we cant treat animals like our slaves.
Fur, met, entertainment. This is not right. Animals have feelings. Feel joy, pain and
suffer like us. I cant understand this how the human being (not all) dont care about animals.
They only care what is on there plate. This must stop but when….poor animals around the world…a child can speek…but an animal cant never complain….that is the difference. That is why it is important to support the animal organisations like PETA.
Please keep us posted about Sunder’s condition. It’s really sad to know that such a miserable treatment was handed out to a noble animal like this.
It is such a sad story and I hope that poor Sunder finds his way to the reserve and out of the cruel environment that he is experiencine.
WHAT CAN WE ALL DO TO END SUNDER PAIN?
Are tourists and visitors to the temple aware that SUNDER is being abused by the temple? If I knew that I would not want to go to that temple for any reason. Please keep exposing the temple and its systematic torture of SUNDER. If enough people find out than maybe it will decrease the temple’s financial bottom line…that seems to be the only way to secure SUNDER’S release from the TEMPLE OF TERROR. There is no excuse as there are people ready and willing to take him to a sanctuary. You cannot appeal to their moral code as they do not have one so appeal to their financial bottom line.
Ayudemos a este pobre elefante a recuperar una vida digna. No podemos quedarnos de brazos cruzados.
After reading Sunder’s distressing story I am delighted that progress is being
made to improve his life by Animal Rahat but his emotional scars will be deep
I feel that his only hope of rehabilitation would be a complete change of environment
and integration with other elephants in a sanctuary where he can roam free. I agree with
J. Wolski that tourists should not visit these temples where elephants are being abused
and the abusers should be put on trial for the horrors which have been inflicted.
Are elephants ram pasad and gajraj also being placed in a sanctuary ? Surely they cannot be left in the same situation as sunder enduring the same physical and mental torture every day !!
Anymore information on them all ?
Hi Barry, I guess we will have to follow up and see what happens. I am glad Paul McCartney brought this to the world’s attention but we don’t have his connections. At least many more of us are aware now about how these temple elephants are treated.
Thank you for the article. I am so saddened to think that an animal would be treated like that at a temple. Thank you Mr. McCartney.
When WILL I be able to hear that dear Sunder is in the sanctuary ?
There doesnt seem to be any confirmation of this yet ?
Received the ewes from PETA uk and PETA India that influential local temple people still refuse to allow Sunder to go to a sanctuary !. A ministerial order was given to free him, how can this be overridden by these people that keep him in spiked chains, hardly able to move or ever lie down !
I hope Paul McCartney and Pamela Anderson know about this latest news and are able to effect his release ?