Rescued from a life of begging on the streets of Uttar Pradesh, female elephant Zara marks the fifth year of her freedom this month. Five years ago, in 2020, conservation NGO Wildlife SOS rescued Zara and brought her to the Elephant Hospital Campus in Mathura for long-term care, which allowed her to start life afresh. Zara, a female elephant, suffered from a brutal life of captivity, and was used as a begging elephant on the streets of Uttar Pradesh. When not forced to work on scorching asphalt roads, she was restricted to a small area, with little space to move or walk freely. Plagued with severe osteoarthritic limbs, she did not receive the required healthcare, further worsening her situation. Considering the grave situation, the Wildlife SOS team conducted her rescue in the middle of the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, and brought her to India’s first elephant hospital in Mathura. The veterinarians thoroughly examined Zara’s physical health and detected a damaged right elbow joint that the medical staff attributed to a fracture from possibly a serious fall she may have had as a calf. From being uneasy initially when she arrived, today Zara stands healthy and earned a companion in elderly blind elephant Arya. The two often engage in similar activities together, such as stepping into the pool or standing under the roof-mounted sprinklers that are turned on thrice a day as part of the care provided during the summer months. Zara and Arya receive hydrating fruits and vegetables such as beetroots, papaya, watermelon and sun melon, where Zara loves to binge on the watermelons. Given her love for fruits, the elephant care team arranged a special cake for celebrating Zara’s 5th rescue anniversary, made with porridge rice and fruits. Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder and CEO, Wildlife SOS said, “From being frail and weak when she was rescued, the five years that Zara has spent with us since then has transformed her completely. One of the biggest highlights of her recovery journey is the friend that she has found in Arya, so much so that we always see the two elephants together.” Dr. Ilayaraja S, Deputy Director- Veterinary Services, Wildlife SOS informed, “To maintain Zara’s health, we provide her with cage feeders, hanging rollers, and box and pipe feeders. These enrichments contribute majorly toward her sensory stimulation and mental engagement.” Geeta Seshamani, Co-founder and Secretary, Wildlife SOS expressed, “When Zara arrived, while she was highly inquisitive about the medical equipment, she remained composed and actively cooperated during each examination right after her rescue. This shows that even after being exploited by human beings for most of her life, Zara was intelligent enough to understand that we were not there to harm her.”
