EDITING NEEDED

Elephant Conservation and Welfare Project (ECWP) in Delhi, India

There were about 40 captive elephants in Delhi when we started. These elephants belong to several individual owners who work the elephants to earn a living for themselves and their families. In a recent eviction move the Government of Delhi evicted the Elephants and their owners from the banks of the Yamuna river where they had lived for years displacing them from an area that gave some respite to the elephants. Since this time Wildlife SOS has been working to try and help the owners find alternative sites for relocation. Attempts were carried out to try and secure land for a small elephant refuge on the banks of the Yamuna river in Delhi, but this was not accepted by the Government.

Living Condition of Delhi’s Elephants:
To accentuate the existing problems, the mahouts who handle these elephants have been handed their pachyderm handling skills down from their family elders. Navigating elephants through the busy, crowded streets of Delhi city amidst the snarling traffic is no easy task and very often a heavy hand or a sharp ankush (elephant handlers hook) is required to control the elephants and keep them in line. The elephants on the other hand have no choice in the way they are treated or the strata they are made to walk on!! They walk on silently with their cracked and blister infested foot pads earning for their masters! Delhi's roads are far from friendly especially in the scorching summers when the tarmac becomes one hot burning surface which causes their foot pads to crack and blister.



Ongoing Efforts for Delhi’s Captive Elephants:

Wildlife SOS has veterinary support available for all the captive elephants in Delhi and the NCR. Wildlife SOS veterinary doctors have treated several of these elephants in Delhi for gastro-intestinal and abdominal disorders as well as for nutritional deficiencies, malnutrition and digestive problems. The elephant owners approach the WSOS vet team if they require help or medicines for their elephants and this is provided to them immediately. Wildlife SOS has micro-chipped close to 30 captive elephants in Delhi with the aim of helping to monitor and keep track of the general health of these elephants.