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Gajraj the elephant’s heartbreaking story began when humans likely abducted him from his forest home as a 12-year-old in 1965. He was then forced to travel for a month and a half to Aundh village in Maharashtra, India, where he lived for over 50 years in chains. Tourists paid to see him day after day until he became too sick and old to beg for money. He was then left chained and alone on the same concrete slab day after day. Gajraj was living a nightmare. The hard patch of concrete that he was confined to caused painful pus-filled sores on his hindquarters and elbows, and his living area reeked of feces and urine.

PETA India and international PETA affiliates learned about Gajraj’s neglect and started a #FreeGajraj campaign. More than 200,000 supporters spoke out and demanded his release, and he has finally been released from his chains!

He’s now on his way to the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre (ECCC) in Mathura—a collaborative project of Wildlife SOS, and the Uttar Pradesh Forest and Wildlife Department—to receive vital veterinary treatment and begin his integration into the company of fellow elephants after more than half a century alone. He was rescued by the Maharashtra Forest Department today and is being accompanied to the ECCC by an expert veterinary team. 

The veterinary report described him as very thin with opacity in his right eye as well as nutritional deficiencies. The report further details a serious toenail abscess in his right front foot and left hind foot, as well as severe wear and tear of his foot pads, which makes him prone to lameness and foot injuries due to soft tissue exposure. Abscesses on his hips are also a matter of concern for the veterinarians. 

He needs round-the-clock foot care more than anything else at the moment. Wildlife SOS will be managing the multiple toenail abscess and his critically worn-out footpads. As such, they require a laser-therapy wound-healing machine that would do wonders for his abscesses. He may also need to get special foot-care medication that would protect his delicate feet, large tubs for giving him medicated foot baths, and also soft rubber flooring for the ground in his night shelter.

Please help with Gajraj's foot care so he can have a chance of walking pain free. So he can experience the long walks, grass on his pads and the water baths he so deserves.