“Nature’s great masterpiece, an elephant; the only harmless great thing.” John Donne
The elephant is indeed Nature’s greatest masterpiece. They are majestic, gentle, smart, and harmless- so why do people abuse these animals?
More and more countries are making new laws about animal abuse.
Each year, different countries are made aware of the different types of abuse that animals can experience. From the tiniest to the biggest animals – all of them can experience abuse.
What’s sad is that it’s our fellow human beings who are responsible for these despicable acts of abuse. That’s the reason we should never stop helping these poor animals.
Elephants are such beautiful creatures!
They are majestic, loving, gentle souls, and they wouldn’t even try to hurt anyone. Sadly, because of their kind-hearted nature, they are often being used and abused.
Mia and Sita’s story will surely break your heart.
Meet Mia & Sita
These two circus elephants grew up in a life of abuse in India. They grew up only knowing a limited space, accustomed to the short metal chain that prevented them to even lie down and relax.
For 50 long years, these two elephants knew nothing but a life of abuse, pain, and discomfort. Can you imagine spending 50 years in a small space and bound by a short, heavy chain?
“Both Mia and Sita have very painful feet. For Sita, her situation is exacerbated by the fact that she has a poorly healed fracture in her front leg that has limited her movement… thus preventing her the ability to lie down and rest. We know it has been at least a year since she has lay down and slept,” Wildlife S.O.S posted on their Facebook page.
Their situation was a nightmare! These poor elephants did nothing wrong, but why did they have to suffer all their lives?
One day, their life was about to take a turn for the better.
Wildlife S.O.S, a non-profit organization, received an alarming report about the two abused elephants. Soon after receiving the report, the organization posted their amazing rescue story on Facebook.
And it was a Jumbo Rescue
The first plan was to rescue Mia & Sita and then transport them to their new home – the Elephant Conservation and Care Center in Mathura.
The second part of the rescue was to have them checked.
For 50 years, these two have suffered a lot, and it will take time to rehabilitate them, but it was a challenge that the organization happily accepted.
“Her therapy when she reaches the rescue center will consist of warm foot soaks, swimming, exercise on natural soft surfaces, medicine, a specialized diet, and lots of rest,” Wildlife S.O.S posted on one of their rescue photos.
Once the rescue team arrived, it seemed that Mia & Sita knew that these people were there to help them. The journey would be long, but these two beautiful creatures seemed excited!
“Sita is showing her excitement by waving out to everyone happily from her truck. We have covered almost 600 km till now,” Wildlife S.O.S captioned one of their photos.
They enjoyed the wind, the trip, and of course, their tasty snacks while traveling. You can already see how happy they were!
Freedom & Happiness
The staff welcomed Mia and Sita with love and care. They were happy to see the elephant’s reactions as they experienced “life” and “freedom”- something that they never knew before.
One of the most memorable events that the team of rescuers shared was how Sita entered a pool of water for the first time!
Sita was particularly thrilled about her discovery!
Mia, who was so grateful and happy, decided to lie down and sleep upon arriving at the center. For her, this was a big deal as she wasn’t even able to comfortably rest when she was chained.
Being able to sleep comfortably is such a simple thing for all of us, but for Mia, this was a dream come true.
“While we don’t know when exactly Mia was last allowed to do this, it’s clear that this is something she has needed to do for a long time.” The center shared. “Daily rest is essential for an elephant, but very often they are deprived of this necessity when they are chained on the front and back legs. This was the case with Mia.”
These two deserved a better life – a new start that they are now experiencing!
“Mia and Sita seem so much happier already,” Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder of Wildlife SOS, happily shared in a press release. “It’s almost like they sense they are going to get a happier life where they will not be forced to perform in circuses anymore – a life where their aching and painful joints will get the rest and the care they deserve.”
We couldn’t agree more. Seeing them enjoying their food, being able to run, and play is priceless!
Goodbye, Sita
Wildlife S.O.S shared very sad news on April 21, 2017. They posted on their blog that Sita, one of the elephants that they rescued, had passed away.
The blog explained:
“With a badly fused limb from a broken leg that was never allowed to heal, to a painful case of ankylosis in both front legs, and abscesses riddling her feet and toenails, forced to work despite her old age and debility, even as her kidneys and liver grew steadily weaker from age and malnutrition, Sita was possibly the worst case of neglect we’d ever seen in a circus elephant, or in any other elephant for that matter.”
Everyone did everything they could. For 18 months, they gave Sita and Mia all the love and care that they deserved.
She lived out her remaining days with the people who loved her.
“Her time with us was brief, too brief. For her more than 56 years of captivity and cruelty, she had just a year and a half with us. It pains us to know we didn’t have more time with her, to undo all those years of neglect, to make right the wrongs done to her at human hands, to give her a real chance at a healthy life, the life of a free elephant,” they added in their heart-wrenching post.
Sita, you lived a life of pain but you were able to forgive and did everything you could to enjoy your remaining days. It was indeed too short, but we know that you felt the love and the care of the people around you. Sleep well, our beloved Sita.
To see the beautiful reaction of Sita and Mia finally being freed, watch the video below.
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