14 DAY TRIAL // Back in 2012, high officials in India ordered the people at the Jyotiba Temple in Kolhapur to send an abused elephant by the name of Sunder to a wildlife sanctuary. Despite their agreeing to do so, the elephant somehow ended up in an old, dark shed in Warananagar.
Undercover PETA investigators say that the 14-year-old animal is still chained by two legs, and that it is severely malnourished. What's more, they argue that its new caretakers beat it on a regular basis.
The investigators have managed to film some of the people in charge of looking after Sunder as they abuse the animal, and one has to admit that PETA is right when it says that the animal is anything but well taken care of.
The footage is available at the end of this article. Fair warning though, it is shocking, so those more sensitive might want to skip it.
“Sunder's body shows visible signs of severe abuse. Photos from August 2013 show how Sunder is forced to stand on concrete all day and denied exercise, which is essential to his mental and physical well-being,” PETA writes on its official website.
“In fact, his current living conditions are so poor that they could predispose him to foot and joint diseases, which could eventually kill him. He's also small for an elephant of his age and underweight as a result of years of inadequate nutrition,” the organization adds.
After learning about the horrible conditions in which Sunder is forced to live, PETA filed a petition with the High Court of Mombay. The organization is asking that Indian high officials stick to their promise and see to it that the elephant is sent to a sanctuary.
PETA also urges ordinary folks who care about Sunder to sign an online petition asking that the elephant be transferred to a Wildlife SOS sanctuary in Mathura without delay.
Viewer discretion is recommended when watching the video below as some people might find its content disturbing.
