Wildlife SOS

A long taxi ride to Agra (4hrs) but time went pretty good a short bathroom stop along the way. Got to my destination and the volunteer house is located in a gated community. Very quiet and peaceful here. I took a long walk down the street. It is hot and humid. Thank goodness for ac in the rooms.

I am the only volunteer. Maybe someone is coming today. Nope no one came. That means I will get alot of attention. It was humid and hot today. High 80’s. The bear rescue place is something else. The practice of dancing bears was outlawed in 1972, but it took 30 years for it to be eliminated. The practice was kept alive due to the Kalendar people (kinda like gypsies) who relied on dancing bears for their livelihood. The practice is inhumane, violent, and tragic. They would insert a heated metal rod into the babie’s snout and tie a rope of metal ring so that they can control the bears and make them “dance”. The sloth bears they have at SOS have been rescued or turned in. SOS has also worked hard at providing and teaching other ways for the Kalander families to make money. The taught them sewing and jewelry making and employed some of the men. The bears have pens but are allowed to roam in enclosed areas. Some still bob their heads in habit as they were previously taught. It is a horrible practice. The rescue center feels that in India, at least, the bears had their last dance. This practice still goes on in other countries, like Russia.

The sloth bear… longer coat of hair and large snout

You can see the scars on the snout where they inserted the metal/rope

Next I visited the elephant rescue. This was just as traumatic. These Indian elephants have been rescued from inhumane practices. Some from circuses, some were begging elephants and others from riding or parading elephants. In order to get the elephants to do what man wants, they have to physically break the elephant. It is called phajaan. They hurt them to get them to do what they want. They use physical punishment. They don’t want to kill them. Just bring them to that point where they learn to obey. The elephants resuced have sores or scars on their legs from years of torture. It makes me soo sick when I think about it. Some of the elephants rescued need constant medical treatment. Others die from their injuries. There are 16 currently at the one shelter. They built another center across the way, and they also built an elephant hospital. It was impressive. I got to visit the hospital. Made for these massive animals.

They have a memorial area for elephants no longer with them

Taking a peaceful stroll with her mahout (caretaker)

It has been a busy, awesome one week stay. I have learned so much. Everyone has been wonderful! I do want to come back someday soon. To tell you how it has impacted me would take to long, and I have little words but lots of feelings. Each of the centers are impressive. The staff work soo hard and are so dedicated. The elephants eat almost all through the day, so it’s quite a chore to prepare and feed them. I couldn’t believe how much one elephant eats. The bears eat alittle less, but non the less the work is endless. The animals are treated so very well. After their cruel lives, they finally have peace and can live out their lives happy. The staff seem to acknowledge and are aware the animal’s welfare. The elephants happiness are their main concern. I am impressed how this organization has grown from the very beginnings in 1995. The. Agra bear rescue facility started in 1999. First bear rescued in 2002 and now they have 93 bears. They have more or less eliminated the dancing bears in India. I really like how they also helped the Kalander people get into different livelihoods. They focused on the root of the problem, not just the problem
The elephant rescue center started in 2010 is so impressive. It has grown tremendously. At present time a total of 36 as well the new baby Bani and they built an elephant hospital. They are looking to expand with another area. There is still much work to do with the elephants in captivity.
I canceled my safari in Chitwan because of elephant breeding and riding. I’ve learned how abusive and unnatural it is so I do not want to endorse any agency that participates in such. They have an elephant breeding center (they force the females to mate), and they do elephant rides. Don’t let anyone tell you the elephants want to give you a ride. It is unnatural, and they “train” the elephants to do so. I hope to spread the word about the work SOS does and encourage people to help in any way possible. The issue with the temple elephants is horrible. They “train” the elephants to stand in one place for hours and endure massive noise and riders. These are Hindu or Buddhist believers, yet they mistreat the animals they worship so much. I don’t understand the logic… pure hypocrisy.