Jamnagar, Gujarat: Vantara, a state-of-the-art animal rescue and rehabilitation organization founded by visionary philanthropist Anant Ambani, is preparing to welcome two female elephants, 18-year-old Vishnupriya and 26-year-old Lakshmipriya. These two elephants are being brought from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Mayapur near Kolkata. Following the tragic incident last April when Vishnupriya turned extremely aggressive and fatally attacked her mahout, both these elephants are being shifted to the forest. Following this tragedy, the need for both elephants to receive specialist care and be moved to an environment more conducive to their well-being was stressed.
This translocation project initiative, launched by Vantara in partnership with ISKCON, was spearheaded by the High Powered Committee constituted by the Tripura High Court to rescue and provide shelter to stressed wild animals, which was also approved by the Supreme Court of India. Was given. They are entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring a safe, stress-free environment At Vanatara, Vishnupriya and Lakshmipriya will be housed in permanent habitats that have been carefully designed to resemble a vibrant natural habitat for elephants. Here they will be given positive reinforcement training in addition to psychological assessment and care by veterinarians in an off-chain environment, thus building trust with them through force-free and reward-based training. As well as engaging in various stimulating activities, they will be provided with opportunities to interact and form close bonds with other elephants and thus receive compassionate attention from their handlers, which are essential for a revived life.
Lakshmipriya since 2007 and Vishnupriya since 2010 have been housed at ISKCON Mayapur and are used to celebrate various temple traditions and festivals. Various animal welfare organizations including People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India and World Animal Protection had long been advocating the release of ISKCON elephants and their transfer to a reliable and reputable elephant conservation facility. PITA India also offered a mechanized elephant to the temple to perform its rituals in exchange for transferring these elephants to a rescue centre.
Hrimati Devi Dasi, senior member of the ISKCON temple and manager of mahout and elephant affairs at Mayapur, said, “According to our beliefs at ISKCON, everyone has the same spirituality as the microbe inside their outer body. We do not discriminate against any animal or species. Different bodies may have different natures and dispositions, but the soul within each body has the same spirituality that deserves compassion and respect. By treating animals with kindness and respect, we express our devotion to Lord Krishna, who taught us that true service to God can be achieved only by protecting and nourishing all living beings. For this I myself went to Vantara and there I saw that the principles we believe in were being followed there. I am confident that Vishnupriya and Lakshmipriya will be very happy at Vantara, will make new friends very quickly, and will live a life full of joy, enjoying the freedom and joy experienced by elephants in the forest.
Keeping elephants in captivity has a very adverse effect on their mental condition as they enjoy freedom and social relationships in the wild. This maintains their overall well-being. But if elephants are kept in captivity, these two basic needs are not fulfilled, which has a very bad effect on their mood and their behavior changes, they become depressed and as a result become aggressive and attack. But at Vanatara, the care of rescued elephants is taken two steps beyond their physical health. Equal attention is given to improving their mental and emotional state. Here, expert veterinarians and animal psychologists conduct psychological assessments of elephants to find out and treat the root cause of their trauma.
Vanatara’s state-of-the-art facility also includes the world’s largest elephant hospital and is designed to provide positive re-empowerment training to elephants, enrich their lifestyle and emphasize their social interactions to create nature-like habitats Has gone. So that they can get individual mental health support. This universal approach ensures that rescued elephants regain not only their physical strength, but also sensory stability and mental well-being. Vantara’s promise is to ultimately improve the quality of life of the elephants by fully rehabilitating them.
