Angry Mob Stops Wildlife Rescuers from Treating an Abused Elephant

An angry mob stalls Mohan's rescue

The relationship between people and elephants in India dates back thousands of years. These majestic animals have been favored for their undisputed strength and complex intelligence in carrying out various specific tasks. These include being employed as beasts of burden, war machines, and even as instruments of execution. In addition to being used as working animals, elephants in India have also played a significant role in the Indian culture as living embodiments of Ganesha, the elephant-headed god and one of the most worshiped gods in the Hindu pantheon. However, as time progressed, people began to take advantage of the elephants' cognition by forcing them to perform tricks in circuses and subjecting them to physical and mental abuse. This brutal form of cruelty has even been recorded in India where elephants are revered. One recent example has been seen in the case of an abused elephant named Mohan.

Police intervene to calm the situation

Mohan was taken from the wild more than fifty years ago and has been forced to perform tricks ever since. Like most captive elephants, he was kept shackled with heavy chains around his legs and frequently left injured and malnourished. In addition to being forced to perform tricks to the general public, Mohan would also be forced by his owners to beg on the streets of Lalganj in northern India. Due to living in such a horrendous condition and under tremendous pressure, it was no wonder that Mohan's situation prompted a charity known as Wildlife SOS to jump into action to save him and provide him with essential treatment. However, when 55 members of the charity came down to Lalganj, they were surrounded by a mob of 300 people who prevented them from providing Mohan with much-needed treatment. The charity was forced to contact the police as the mob became more extreme with over forty personnel recruited to calm the situation. But due to the concern of the rescue team's safety, a local magistrate called for the operation to be canceled and the charity was forced to leave Mohan behind. In addition, Mohan's owner, Bhupendar Mishra, has been accused of sending the mob to prevent the elephant's rescue. He also has illegal custody of Mohan and is attempting to exploit and misinform the mob. Furthermore, he is trying to hinder the rescue by registering revisions and misinforming the courts even though he has already lost the battle. According to Wildlife SOS coordinator Baiji Raj, the charity will not give up on Mohan and is hopeful to successfully save him and has now launched an appeal an appeal on its website to help fund his rescue.

Mohan

It is absolutely appalling to find elephants like Mohan and other wild animals subjected to animal cruelty. But what is more shocking and disturbing is that the effort to save Mohan from further abuse was stopped by an angry mob, which was a result of the elephant's owner Bhupendar Mishra trying to spread lies and misinforming the public simply to save his heartless dignity. Furthermore, he even tried to misinform the courts and file revisions even though he had lost the battle in court. This goes to show how an individual or a group of individuals responsible for inflicting pain and misery on a helpless animal are unwilling to give up and surrender. These ruthless people should be tried under full extent of the law and imposed with strict penalties, including the death penalty, to make an example that animal cruelty will not be tolerated and to send a message to the public about the repercussions. In India, elephants have long since been worshiped as living descendants of Ganesha but at the same time, they are viewed as objects to make easy money instead of objects of worship. People who exploit elephants and other animals through illegal and barbaric ways are lowest form of beings in the world and should be severely punished for their actions without fail. In addition, wild elephants across India should be heavily protected like most endangered species not just from poaching but also from being taken from their natural habitats to satisfy human consumption.

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