India’s First Elephant Hospital Is Treating Abused Elephants And Making A Difference Every Day

India is quite popular because of its oneness with nature and love for wildlife. According to Hindu philosophy (which is the major religion in India), animals are to be treated with kindness and many of them are represented in the form of deities too. So, when the country opened the first-ever elephant hospital back in 2018, it sent surges of joy throughout the world. And the good news is that a few months post its opening, this facility has successfully treated about 26 elephants.

The hospital is situated in Uttar Pradesh and was established by an animal welfare group called Wildlife SOS. It is a non-profit organization which is involved in the task of saving wild animals in India. It has been active since the year 1995. This group not only helps pachyderms but they have also helped turtles, bears, leopards, and different kinds of endangered species as well.

The problem with elephants in India comes due to their popularity among tourists. Due to the Western representation of India as a kind of magical and exotic land, elephants have gained a special value. Due to this stereotyping, many people still believe that Indians ride elephants and so, they also want to share the experience when they come to India. This results in the abuse of the mammal who is used in riding camps, temples, circuses, and for a variety of reasons by the tourism industry. Elephant abuse is rampant in India and neglecting them results in the rising complications of diseases among the elephant population. So, the hospital has come as a ray of light for them.

When a rescued elephant is brought into the medical center, they undergo a complete evaluation by a veterinarian. As most of these elephants are suffering from malnutrition and neglect, they have developed debilitating physical issues. The medical center is thus focused on treating old and injured elephants. It has all the modern equipment needed for a proper analysis of their physical conditions. They have ultrasound, digital radiology, pathology lab, laser therapy, hydrotherapy pool, and a special medical hoist to properly lift these large animals and put them in the treatment area. When a general check-up is required, they have jumbo-sized digital weight scales, and other necessary laboratory capabilities.

The Wildlife SOS Elephant Hospital houses a portable X-Ray machine and they also have special foot-care tools. As there are many diseased elephants that need overnight observation, the medical center is fitted with infrared cameras so that veterinarians can monitor their patient the entire night.

Holly is one such patient of the hospital. She was a street-riding elephant and she was kept poorly by her owner. She is blind. When she first arrived in the hospital, her body was almost completely covered with untreated abscesses. Malnutrition has resulted in arthritis in her hind legs. She needed medical support and that too fast, but her owner did not think it was required.

In the hospital, Holly is being treated well. A team of veterinarians is trying to treat her painful arthritis by using therapeutic ultrasonography and cold laser therapy. They are also treating the abscesses daily and trying to keep her healthy by giving her the right amount of nutritious food.

After their treatment, these large mammals are taken to Wildlife SOS’s two elephant sanctuaries present in India: The Elephant Rescue Centre in Yamunanagar and The Elephant Conservation and Care Centre in Mathura. Thus, these elephants can spend the rest of their lives in peace and under proper protection.

Abused animals need our help and Wildlife SOS is doing their best to prevent it. We need to do our part as well and call out any kind of animal abuse that takes place. Animals are our friends – our neighbors. We should treat them with the same love and respect.

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Wildlife SOS kicks off Refuse to Ride elephant campaign

The Refuse to Ride campaign says it aptly: if you truly love elephants, you will never ride one. But even if you have a heart, you will not opt for jumbo joyride after knowing how their ears are clipped and beaten up for several days to train them to take rides.

Wildlife SOS, Delhi-based NGO which has been known for rescuing `dancing’ bears from the brutality of Indian roads, has also saved many elephants from atrocity. It kicked off the Refuse to Ride campaign, partnering with the Gatimaan Express–Indian Railway’s high speed tourist train between Delhi and Agra. The campaign aims to create awareness among tourists about the abuse that Asian elephants undergo at the hands of their handlers–be it in nature parks or cities like Jaipur where they are specifically used for joyrides.

Kartick Satynarayan, co-founder and chairman of Wildlife SOS says, “The campaign is aimed at creating awareness and promoting elephant protection using unusual mechanism. In the recent past, a number of these pachyderms have died across the railway lines being hit by trains. That is why we thought of using a train to spread the message. All the seats of the Gatimaan express (AC chair car train) having head rest covers with campaign flyers #refusetoride and information about the abused elephants. The food trays also have leaflets as liners where there are more details of the elephant deaths and abuse. We have also put up huge poster sized pictures of jumbos. And we already have received incredible feedback from the travellers and they say their souls are churned seeing those information. Tourists and public are innocent and ignorant. If they know the grim realities, they would definitely not ride one hereafter. That is the change we are looking at.”

He further added how the tuskers used for rides or carrying load are treated. “Elephants belong to the wild. They can get easily angered so they are trained through pain and fear mechanisms. They are constantly beaten up, and their ears are clipped…all this goes on until its spirit dies and it bows to the handler’s commands,” he says.

The campaign will go on for 30 days and plans are in place to roll it out in taxis in other cities too.

Elephant in India is a heritage animal and home to the largest population of the Asian elephant species until half a decade ago. According to the Elephant Census 2017, decline in numbers are starting to threaten the species already. Till 2017 survey, India had 27,312 tuskers in 23 states, a drop from an estimated 30,700 in 2012. In 2007, there were an estimated 27,670.

In the last eight years, the country witnessed 80 elephants dying every year, which totals up to 655. The observation of the census is that there were four main reasons for this–electrocution, train accidents/collision, poaching and poisoning.

In December, an elephant in Nagarhole forest in Karnataka was found dead while crossing a tall fence. This happened a couple of months after `Rowdy Ranga’–another from the same forest range was mowed down by speeding bus on the highway criss-crossing the forest. Odisha saw about 65 ghastly elephant deaths in 2018, mainly due to poaching. One of them was an eight year old jumbo that chewed a bomb left by poachers in Rajanagar.

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70-Year-Old Elephant Who Spent Her Life in Chains as Tourist Attractions Is Finally Free

Gajraj is finally getting to enjoy retirement.

The 70-year-old elephant was the first patient at Wildlife SOS‘ recently opened elephant hospital — India’s first elephant hospital and one of few in the world.

Here, the hospital’s dedicated staff worked to help erase the trauma from Gajraj’s 50 years as a tourist attraction. Before being rescued and brought to the hospital, the senior elephant spent a good part of her life in chains at a temple, where guests paid to ride on her back. Working in these conditions caused Gajraj to develop wounds and abscesses on her feet from standing for hours in one place and from walking on hard pavement.

Those painful memories are a thing of the past. At Wildlife SOS’ elephant hospital, not only did Gajraj get the care she needed, she also got the freedom she deserved.

The hospital is able to provide top-of-the-line care for Gajraj and others like her at its 10,000-sq.-ft. facility, which is equipped with India’s only elephant ambulance, 24-hour inpatient care and diagnostics, CAT scan machines, laser treatments equipment, and blood and chemistry analyzers.

This dedication to treating and caring for the world’s elephants aligns with Wildlife SOS’ overall mission: ending the tourism practice of riding elephants in India and protecting all of the country’s animals.

Along with building India’s first elephant hospital, Wildlife SOS works to achieve this goal through its 10 wildlife sanctuaries and centers throughout India, an anti-poaching wildlife crime enforcement unit and one of the world’s busiest 24-hour wildlife hotlines.

Wildlife SOS hopes Gajraj is the first of many elephants still stuck in India’s tourism trade that will be rescued, brought to the hospital for treatment and then moved to a sanctuary for a freer, happier life.

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India takes a jumbo leap by launching its first hospital for elephants

India took a jumbo leap this year by launching its first ever hospital for elephants in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. Spanned over 12,000 square feet — the hospital is equipped with wireless digital X-ray, ultrasound, laser treatment, dental X-ray, a medical hoist for lifting elephants, among other facilities.

Located near its Elephant Conservation and Care Centre in Mathura, where severely abused captive elephants in distress get rehabilitated, this hospital is designed to treat sick, injured and geriatric elephants. Currently, it is providing long-term care to 23 elephants rescued from different parts of the country.

Mirror talked to the co-founders of Wildlife SOS, the non-profit behind the hospital, Geeta Seshamani and Kartick Satyanarayan, to get insights on what it takes to run an elephant’s hospital while many in the country continue to remain unaware on how to treat elephants right.

Kartick said that creating public awareness is a big challenge. He believes that those working in the entertainment industry should refuse to work with elephants.

He said, “Elephants belong in the wild. It is important for everyone to know that every single elephant you see begging on the streets, in temples, at wedding functions, at circuses or on joy rides have all been mistreated.”

“It might be your dream to ride elephants, but this is an elephant’s worst nightmare!” he sighed.
A well-known fact about elephants is that they have a superb memory. So how hard is it to get an ill-treated elephant back to normalcy?
Geeta said, “Building trust with elephants who have suffered great abuse by humans takes utmost patience and care.” She said that initially most elephants stay in a shell, but gradually develop a trust with the keepers.

The duo have launched a campaign called Refuse to Ride that aims at educating tourists and travellers on issues surrounding elephant rides.

The organisation has also rescued an elephant from Mumbai’s Mulund area.
“Laxmi (an elephant from Mulund) spent her days outside a temple, begging for alms. Devotees would hand-over money to her outstretched trunk, or give her a handful of oily, sugary prasad that she would quickly gobble up. The elephant progressively turned obese to the point where she could barely stand, showing signs of early arthritis,” said Seshamani.

Since she has been with Wildlife SOS, Laxmi has been put on a healthy well-balanced diet and a strict exercise regime consisting of long walks, and has lost considerable weight.

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Rescued elephants, bears bask in comfort

As elephants are more vulnerable to "arthritis" in harsh cold climate, the rescued elephants and sloths from illegal trafficking are being served with special diet, helps to keep them warm.

According to Wildlife SoS, the diet of elephants has been modified to include jiggery, peanuts, sesame oil and a digestive mixture using Indian spices.

With the cold setting in across Northern India, animal lives have started facing the brunt of the sudden dip in temperatures. Wildlife SOS measures to ensure that the rescued elephants and bears under their lifetime care is sheltered through the winter months.

According to Dr. Ilayaraja, Deputy Director of Veterinary Services at Wildlife SOS, "The bears spend most of their day resting in freshly dug mud pits or hammocks to soak up the warm winter sun. "To ensure that they are snug during the night, individual bear dens have been designated heaters and strawbedding. The sloth bears also enjoy a special winter diet comprising hot porridge with additional quantity of milk along with jaggery (molasses) and puffed rice balls."

This may be noted that, these animals are rescued from illegal captivity, trafficking mafia, exploited for street begging and circuses where they were abused and subjected to extreme cruelty and decades of suffering, each of these elephants has tragic pasts, which in turn has taken a physical and psychological toll on them.

Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder & CEO of Wildlife SOS, said, "It is important to keep our elephants especially the geriatric ones snug and comfortable during winters, as they are more vulnerable to change in weather making them susceptible to ailments such as pneumonia.

"The cold also aggravates their arthritis which is a common issue that the elephants have to deal with. Even the diet of the elephants has been modified to include jaggery, peanuts, sesame oil and a digestive mixture using Indian spices to help generate body heat," said Satyanarayan.

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India opens a hospital for elephants

More than half of Asia's elephants are found in India, but the country's elephant population has dipped in the past few years - by nearly 10 percent across 23 states between 2012 and 2017.

Last month, the South Asian country opened a hospital dedicated to the conservation of elephants. The facility is jointly run by the conservation group Wildlife SOS and Uttar Pradesh's forest department and is already treating nearly two dozen injured, sick and geriatric pachyderms, which were rescued and had been kept at a conservation and care center.

Spanning 12,000 square feet (1,100 square meters), the hospital is equipped with wireless digital X-Ray, laser treatment, thermal imaging, ultrasonography, hydrotherapy and tranquillization equipment.

Read more: The sorry lives of India's captive elephants

Elephants have a strong cultural symbolism in India and human-elephant interaction has a rich history in the region. At the same time, elephants face substantial abuse in India.

Asian elephants are also endangered and enjoy the highest degree of protection for animals under India's powerful Wildlife Protection Act.

"Unlike their African counterparts, Asian elephants are relatively understudied," Arinita Sandilya, a senior executive at the Wildlife SOS, told DW.

"Coupling this with the fact that their population is dwindling in the wild due to reasons such as escalated human-elephant conflict, railway collision, habitat destruction and captivity, the need to understand this majestic species is even more pronounced," she added. Asian elephants are smaller in size with smaller ears compared with their African cousins.

The medical center hopes it can contribute towards behavioral studies, veterinary science and pathology of Asian elephants – eventually helping to frame better conservation policies.

Declining elephant population
"The hospital will be open for practitioners to come and learn about veterinary practices and humane management of elephants, and apply this knowledge towards better management of their elephants," said Sandilya.

India bestowed the status of "national heritage animal" on elephants in 2010 to increase protective measures for the conservation of the species as their numbers have declined in recent years.

Read more: Noah's Park: Saving elephants from the flood

Since 1992, when India launched "Project Elephant," the government has undertaken census once in four or five years. Project Elephant has provided a focus for all the conservation efforts since then.

Besides cruel treatment at circuses and illegal captivity, elephants in the wild also face threats from poaching for their tusks and rapid loss of habitat. On average, 80 elephants die every year in India from human contact - whether it is by electrocution, poaching, poisoning and train accidents, according to environmental ministry figures.

Conservation of the species
India has 29 formally declared elephant reserve forests – covering an area of about 65,000 square kilometers (25,000 square miles), along with 88 dedicated elephant "corridors" opening the known travel paths of the animals. Travelling hundreds of kilometers, nomadic elephants require large areas of suitable habitat.

"Elephant conservation in India is a big issue and right now we need a hospital like this that caters to elephants who are sick and in distress," said Soumitra Dasgupta, inspector general of forests (wildlife) with the federal government's environment ministry.

VK Venkitachalam, an elephant welfare activist who runs the Heritage Animal Task Force, told DW about a previous proposal to set up a full-fledged elephant hospital in India's southern state of Kerala that didn't succeed.

"It didn't succeed because of political infighting within the state," he said, adding that establishing such a hospital is certainly a significant step forward for elephant conservation.

Read more: How India's sacred cows are creating havoc on the streets

Venkitachalam added that Kerala has ample infrastructure facilities to set up something similar to the elephant hospital in Uttar Pradesh.

"Kerala's forest department has enough funds and space in veterinary universities to handle such projects," added Venkitachalam. As many as 31 captive elephants have died this year alone in the southern state.

"Much of the diagnostic equipment is now transportable and it will be beneficial for elephant camps," said Venkitachalam.

Sandilya from Wildlife SOS said the hospital in Mathura would help elephant conservation across India and beyond.

"The elephant hospital would be open to practitioners and students from the world over. We aim to develop more interest among conservationists about the plight of Asian elephants and push for concerted action."

"The hospital would remain open to treating elephants from Kerala as and when approached by the Kerala Forest Department," she added.

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Rescued Elephant Priyanka Celebrates Her First Year Of Freedom Thanks To Wildlife SOS

Wildlife SOS is a non-profit organisation in India, established in 1995, working primarily towards rescuing and rehabilitating wildlife in distress. It also looks after preserving India’s natural heritage. Kartick Satyanarayan and Geeta Seshamani, the founders of Wildlife SOS, initially started working with a small team due to lack of support and funding to protect animals in distress. Today, they have branches in key states of the country.

Recently, they celebrated one year of freedom of a rescued elephant called Priyanka, who was earlier suffering from severe chronic illnesses in illegal custody.

After closely tracing Priyanka’s movement for a year and a six-day-long operation, she was rescued from the hands of her cruel owners. They kept her in illegal custody, where she had spent four years in captivity, to rent her out for processions and wedding ceremonies.

In an interview with IWB, Arinita Sandilya from Wildlife SOS talks about curing animals of trauma and how Priyanka is adjusting to a new healthy environment.

Mental health of rescued animals is as important as their physical health. How do you deal with it?

One of the most critical components of the rehabilitation programme for animals across Wildlife SOS centres is providing them with engaging enrichments to facilitate their psychological recovery. When in captivity, animals are forced to follow a strenuous, monotonous daily routine that goes against their natural behaviour, due to which many animals exhibit stereotypical behaviour such as head bobbing or swaying. So, enrichments become important because they enhance their mental and physical health by encouraging them to exhibit natural behaviours.

At WSOS Centres, we provide our animals with enrichments that can be as simple as switching enclosures, introducing new scents, or more physical enrichments such as honey logs, peanut-filled rolling drums, fire hosepipe braids for the bears; long walks in the open field, tyre feeders, pools for socialisation, cage feeders for the elephants.

As citizens, what are the ways in which we can prevent animal abuse?

There are many ways through which the common man can help to prevent animal abuse, like refusing to participate in animal exploitative experiences and activities, and supporting organisations that directly work towards wildlife conservation and protection. People should raise their voice against animal exploitation, and report acts of animal abuse to the concerned authorities. Most importantly, citizens should educate and sensitise themselves about conservation issues and understand why a thriving biodiversity matters.

What steps should India take to create a safer environment for elephants?

The biggest initiative taken by the government is the Project Elephant of 1992. It is comprehensive in its approach as it focuses both on the conservation of wild elephants as well as the welfare of captive elephants. Project Elephant has funds set for restoration of migratory routes of elephants, mitigation of human-elephant conflict, habitat preservation, and public education and awareness programmes.

Creating a safer environment for our elephants begins with viewing conservation more holistically. To keep humans tolerant of elephants, it is important to send across the message that the fate of our forests is tied with that of our elephants.

Elephants are keystone species and have, through their long-ranging, migratory and dietary habits, engineered our forests. Once they cease to exist, no other species can replace the ecological niche created, and the entire ecosystem could be altered in deeply concerning ways with invasive species.

The existence of many insect species that reside and feed on elephant dung would also become threatened. Moreover, in the epoch of Anthropocene, when we are facing devastating effects of climate change it is important to note that forested areas serve as important carbon sinks. Thus, the message that needs to be sent across is that when we protect our wild elephants, we protect our forests and resources.

How are the elephants adjusting to post-trauma treatment?

Each rescued elephant has a different personality and naturally, they tend to adjust to their new home differently. Most elephants tend to stay in a shell as they are initially apprehensive of their new surroundings. Having been habituated to a monotonous routine for the best part of their life, it is a big change for them to abandon it completely. Sometimes we wait till the elephant has successfully adjusted to their new home to remove the bell that the elephants come with so that it is not too much of a change all of a sudden for them.

Physically also it can be overwhelming for the elephant, getting used to a new healthy diet that their bodies are not used to. Our rescued elephants relearn to be elephants as we do not use negative reinforcement. They slowly realise that they have the freedom to refuse to respond to a cue.

You celebrated Priyanka’s (below) first year of freedom recently. Tell us what do you wish for her and how happy did she look that day?

As Priyanka’s hind legs twist inwards due to improper nutrition during her younger years, we only wish that her condition does not worsen and that we are able to provide her with the best care possible. We hope that she will continue to come out of her shell and discover new possibilities that her life of freedom presents to her.

Priyanka was for sure content with her cake as we could see her swaying her tail lightly and flipping her ears.

What activities does Priyanka enjoy doing the most at your centre?

Priyanka’s best discovery has been the pool inside her enclosure. She is a big water baby and spends hours submerged inside her pool or playing with rubber tyres. Some days when her keeper walks her down to the river, Priyanka invariably rushes in to take a dip, flatly refusing to come out until she’s ready.

What are the important changes in the legal system of India that can facilitate the fight against animal traffickers?

There are broadly two laws that provide protection to elephants in India-Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. Other than these laws there are state-specific laws issued by the Chief Wildlife Warden of the concerned state and there are the Project Elephant Guidelines issued by the MoEFCC.

Again, the major hurdle comes down to the lax implementation of the law as there is no mechanism in place to carry out regular inspections and prosecute the offenders.

However, recently the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India passed an order by which it has directed the CWLWs of different states to conduct a census of captive elephants in India by the end of the year, and also keep a tab on any illegal ownership of the elephant. This is a welcome move because once the captive elephant population has been baselined, it will help the policymakers to assess the situation more critically and hopefully implement stricter laws.

Give an insight into the world of animal traffickers that you, as a rescuer, found out?

The driving force for successfully ending the 400-year old tradition of dancing bears was the extensive community rehabilitation program that Wildlife SOS undertook. As the Kalandar community was devoid of any other means of livelihood, they were left with no choice but to exploit the bears. It seemed as if they were stuck in a time capsule and left behind in the world.

Thus, the Kalandars themselves were put at the heart of conservation by granting them seed funds and assistance to start alternative livelihood, providing education to the children. It was a new chance at life for both the Kalandars and the sloth bears. It is thus important to look at the issue holistically and not pick villains beforehand.

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India’s First Elephant Hospital Run By Wildlife SOS Opens For Business

Elephant is not the same in order to be certain and through the process they develop. Abscesses internal problems back problems, all kinds of health issues that need to be addressed, see elephants in st. Simons chases and they becoming extinct, and I think it’s really important fine. If y’all doing something about it and say hello and the horrible shackles to put on they face in the blade and below so I think by building a hospital, we are underlining the fact that elephants need welfare measures as much as any other animal. That captive, elephants are not meant to be used and abused, but instead have to be given the respect which an animal needs if you’re going to be using the animals, but I think most importantly, the hospital has been equipped with very portable mobile kind of Machinery. So if an elephant is hit and run very far away anywhere in North India, we can go there and we can take care of it on site itself. Any luck!

The facility in Mathura, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, is run by conservation group Wildlife SOS and has so far saved 26 of the animals from captivity with the help of Indian state governments. Volunteers said many of the elephants are socially isolated and psychologically traumatised after their time in captivity, while many have ongoing medical problems. In addition to the elephants forced to perform for cruel entertainment, some of the mammals need emergency care after accidents with trucks or cars while working along busy highways and roads.

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Inside India's rst elephant hospital for animals saved from performing

The facility in Mathura, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, is run by conservation group Wildlife SOS and has so far saved 26 of the animals from captivity with the help of Indian state governments.

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This hospital is the reason to smile for Indian elephants

India’s first specialised hospital to treat and care elephants was launched by Wildlife SOS in collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department on November 16. Here, rescued animals are brought, treated and later released in the wild or sent to a conservation site. Watch this video for more information.

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First elephant hospital home draws tourists

MATHURA, UTTAR PRADESH, NOVEMBER 19

Reuters At the country’s first hospital for elephants in Uttar Pradesh, 49-year old Asha placed her left foreleg on a stool for a doctor to attend to an injury while visitors filmed it all on their mobile phones.

The facility has wireless digital X-Ray, thermal imaging, ultrasonography, tranquilisation devices and quarantine facilities. It has not only come as a respite to the elephants but is also attracting local and foreign tourists.

The hospital is spread over 12,000 sq ft and is designed to treat injured, sick or geriatric elephants.

“I think by building a hospital we are underlining the fact that elephants need welfare measures as much as any other animal,” said Geeta Seshamani, co-founder of Wildlife SOS, the non-profit behind the hospital.

“That captive elephants are not meant to be used and abused but instead have to be given the respect which an animal needs if you are going to be using the animal.”

A better home

The country’s elephant population fell 27,312 in 2017 from 29,391-30,711 in 2012, government data shows.

The hospital, on the banks of the Yamuna River, is close to an elephant conservation and care centre run by Wildlife SOS that is home to 22 elephants.

Elizabeth Ritson, a tourist from Australia, said she was glad there was now a dedicated hospital for elephants in India.

“Look at them, they are so much happier and when you see the abuse that they have been through, the shackles that were put on their feet and to see them all healed up, it’s just really nice,” she said.

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India's first Elephant Hospital opens

The very first hospital for elephants opened in India this week, creating a place where these gentle giants can receive care.

Wildlife SOS opened the hospital on Friday, drawing support from celebrities, media, and government officials from all over the world.

“Since its inception in 1995, Wildlife SOS has been working tirelessly to save wild animals throughout India, rescuing everything from bears to crocodiles and cobras if they needed help,” Wildlife SOS said. “So, when we received a call back in 2008 to assist an elephant that had met with an accident in the state of Uttar Pradesh, we immediately jumped into action. This was new ground; we had no idea back then how this elephant would map a new course for Wildlife SOS.”

Since helping that first elephant, the organization went on to save 26 elephants from heart breaking conditions in circuses and temples, street begging and highway accidents, and brought them to their centres to receive short term medical treatment and long term rehabilitation.

“With every captive elephant rescue, we’ve seen some of the same distressing and depressing things: their bodies are weakened from improper nutrition, their delicate feet are riddled with wounds, they are socially isolated and psychologically traumatized, many have ongoing medical problems that have been left untreated for years,” the organization says. “Over the years, we have evolved in our understanding of the issues these elephants face, and have gained experience in lifelong care of elephants.”

“Keeping with our objective to protect Asian elephants from abuse, exploitation and provide them with the best medical care available, we are immensely proud to share with you that we have established India’s first elephant hospital — the Wildlife SOS Elephant Hospital — specially designed to treat injured, sick, or geriatric elephants.”

Wildlife SOS says that the new facility is capable of conducting a variety of important laboratory tests for elephants. It’s also set up with some other impressive and vital technology such as ultrasound, laser therapy, an in-house pathology lab, a medical hoist for disabled elephants, a hydrotherapy pool quarantine enclosures, and more.

“Our goal first and foremost is to provide the best treatment for elephants in Asia, but we also aim to make the Wildlife SOS Elephant Hospital instrumental in this field, spreading knowledge on topics like elephant-care best practices, humane elephant management, and cutting-edge veterinary procedures. We want this to be a place of healing as well as a place of learning,” the organization says.

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India's first elephant hospital opens for business

Hundreds of elephants across India are held in captivity to perform touristic as well as religious rituals at forts and large temples. They are often ill-treated and so a new hospital has opened in Mathura by Wildlife SOS to care for them .

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