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Tag: Sunder

  • Paul McCartney & PETA Work to Rescue Elephant

    Paul McCartney headed a campaign to rescue an elephant from a temple in India after a trip there in 2012.

    He saw 14-year-old Sunder being obviously mistreated at Jyotiba temple and, with the help of Maharashtra State’s forest department and India’s Project Elephant, arranged his transport to a sanctuary.

    It would have been really nice for Sunder who already suffered from numerous scars, an eye injury and a hole in his ear, if all had gone as planned. But it didn’t.

    Investigation by an animal rights group in February yielded video of Sunder being treated worse than before. He had apparently simply been moved to a chicken shack with no bedding and insufficient shelter to keep out the harsh sun during the day and the cold night wind. He was also shackled so tightly that he couldn’t lay down, according to Yahoo.

    A following investigation by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals provided video to back up those claims. They also gathered photos and video showing the still-young elephant in a malnourished state, being beaten and severely mistreated by his handler.

    The video shows Sunder “writhing in pain and struggling to stand as the mahout (handler) strikes him repeatedly,” said PETA director of veterinary affairs, Dr. Manilal Valliyate. “Sunder visibly recoils in fear from the weapon-wielding mahout, who continues to threaten him with violence after he has stood.”

    You can see PETA’s video here, but please be aware, it’s hard to watch:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BOWXPyQiMw&noredirect=1

    In August, he made an angry escape attempt including pulling down a heavy pillar to which he was tied with strong ropes and ransacking local retail shops, according to PETA’s website. They say it was a desperate flight to try to gain his freedom to enjoy what is remaining of his life.

    Hopefully India, a country ironically noted for holding the elephant as sacred, will be spurred to do more to see that this poor elephant is put somewhere safe and far away from the handlers and temples which have treated him so cruelly.

    Image Via PETA

  • Paul McCartney: Elephant Not Rescued After All

    An elephant that was believed to be rescued by ex-Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney, has been found abused in a shack.

    In 2012 McCartney made a trip to India. While on that trip he met Sunder, an elephant that had been abused by his handlers at Jyotiba Temple south of Mumbai. McCartney was so moved by the 14-year-old Sunder that he organized a campaign to rescue the elephant.

    By the time McCartney met Sunder, the elephant had an eye injury, a hole in his ear, and multiple scars all over his body. Sunder had spent six years in the city of Kolhapur at the temple after being donated by a local politician.

    After working and making agreements with the Maharashtra State’s forest department and an Indian government organization called Project Elephant, McCartney believed Sunder would be moved to a sanctuary, but a recent investigation found Sunder living in a shack.

    Not only did an animal rights group investigation find Sunder living in a chicken shack being shackled in chains that were so heavy he couldn’t lay down to sleep, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) captured video of the elephant being beaten by his handlers and looking malnourished. You can see for yourself in the video below.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BOWXPyQiMw

    PETA director of veterinary affairs, Dr. Manilal Valliyate said Sunder had been seen “writhing in pain and struggling to stand as the mahout (handler) strikes him repeatedly. Sunder visibly recoils in fear from the weapon-wielding mahout, who continues to threaten him with violence after he has stood.”

    The investigation performed by PETA found that the shack Sunder has been confined to is open on three sides, allowing the harsh heat of the sun during the day and the cold wind and weather at night to abuse the elephant. They also found that there is no bedding for Sunder in the shack.

    Image via YouTube.