The brutality suffered by captive elephants abused for the tourism industry is clear in Asha’s case, who was forced to give joy rides in Rajasthan. Her frail stature balancing the overbearing weight of an iron carrier and the constant jab of a bull-hook led her to lose her balance on the cobbled roads leading up to the Amer Fort. She was rendered with a permanently broken leg which never received medical attention. One would assume that her ordeal concluded with this injury but Asha was illegally transported across borders and abused as a begging elephant, having to constantly navigate through narrow streets with a severely compromised gait. By the time Asha was rescued by Wildlife SOS, she suffered from an aggravated condition of arthritis, an improperly set, unhealed fracture, and wounded footpads for which she would require intensive treatment for the rest of her life. Asha has been steadily recuperating under our care and in the loving company of her companion, Suzy, a blind elephant rescued from a circus. See how Asha is doing now!
