When Mohy the elephant was a child, he was stolen from the wild, separated from his family, and herded in the 1960s. Like most captive elephants, Mohy was unfortunately tied up and beaten to make it easier to train.
When he was not chained, he was a slave to men.
“He spent most of his time in villages near Lucknow, begging for money or begging outside temples or renting it for weddings,” writes the Wildlife SOS. “The severe scars and puncture wounds on his body, his emaciated condition confirm the great torture and neglect he has endured over the years.”
Wildlife SOS, a wildlife conservation organization in India, first heard of Mohan when they rescued another elephant named Raju. Mohan and Raju spent the rest of their lives in a chained elephant camp. Mohani was not given food, so his hunger forced him to eat plastic.
Since Raji was rescued in 2014, Wildlife SOS has been working hard to free Mohy. But it was more than easy. His initial rescue transfer to the Elephant Conservation Care Center in Matura was to be delayed by local mobs who wanted to keep Mohy tied up.
Then there were more than 20 delays in the court proceedings. Nicknamed the “World’s Most Unlucky Elephant”, he sat and waited under the control of the forestry department.
As his health deteriorated rapidly, the court finally decided to allow Mohan to be taken to care centre, where he would receive appropriate medical care so that, more importantly, he would never have to be chained again.
At the care centre, Mohan eats lots of fruits and vegetables to help her regain the weight. He has a long way to go as he struggles with stomach worms and liver problems, but his future is much brighter now.
In addition to a healthy diet, Mohy is pampered with walks, parties and baths.
“His release came a long time ago, and we are so grateful to all those who stood firm in this long, often discouraging, dangerous struggle for his release,” said Geeta Seshamani, co-founder in a press release.
“This day confirms all the hard work that has gone into rescuing him. We hope it will set a much-needed precedent for other captive elephants in India that animal abuse will not be tolerated,” Seshamani said.
See more of Mohan’s story below.
