NEW DELHI: An Indian elephant taken on an epic journey to a tycoon’s giant zoo is expected to return home after protests by the religious community she came from, officials said Wednesday, following a court battle over the animal’s welfare at the temple.
The story of the 36-year-old elephant called Madhuri reflects both the passion that some communities have for elephants in India — and the mind-boggling scale of the self-declared “world’s biggest wild animal rescue center.”
The elephant spent her adult life at a Jain monastery in Kolhapur in Maharashtra state — where campaigners from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India said she experienced “cruel and bleak living conditions.”
The often chained animal killed a monk in the temple in 2017 when she lashed out in frustration, and a court in 2024 ordered she be rehabilitated after a complex legal battle.
Madhuri was taken more than 1,100 kilometers (700 miles) to the Vantara Animal Rescue Center, run by Anant Ambani, son of the billionaire head of Reliance Industries Mukesh Ambani, arriving in July.
Vantara is a vast operation that includes more than 200 elephants, as well as more than 50 bears, 160 tigers, 200 lions, 250 leopards and 900 crocodiles.
It was also among the many venues for Anant Ambani’s lavish multi-day wedding celebrations in 2024, parties that set a new benchmark in matrimonial extravagance — including private performances by R&B star Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.
Elephants taken to the zoo are usually transported by road in “elephant ambulances” — specially adapted trucks — accompanied by a large team including vets.
Vantara said Madhuri was given veterinary care, and space to roam alongside other elephants.
Activists offered a rubberised “anti-cruelty” mechanical elephant model to the monastery as a replacement.
But thousands marched on Sunday in Kolhapur demanding the real elephant be returned.
Vantara on Wednesday offered a solution, acknowledging the “deep religious and cultural significance” that the elephant holds.
It proposed to house the elephant at a special rehabilitation center near the temple — which would include pools to ease the elephant’s arthritis and open spaces.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said in a statement that he had “good news” that Vantara would join a court petition “for the smooth passage of the elephant Madhuri back.”
Vantara said that, subject to court approval, it “will provide complete technical and veterinary assistance for her safe and dignified return.”
PETA says the more than 2,700 captive elephants in India often face “severe physical and psychological stress.”
When the herd animals are not chained up, they are used in temple ceremonies, paraded through packed crowds with flashing lights and ear-splitting music.
