Lakhi the 60-year-old blind elephant was rescued from a life of begging on the streets and is headed for a sanctuary.
"For more than seven years, we had been trying to rescue the blind elephant, Lakhi, and two other elephants owned by one Ramesh Lekhraj Pandey. In the past two years, the other two passed away after being forced to beg on the streets of Pune. We are happy to have saved Lakhi from a hellish life of abuse," Manoj Oswal, a People for Animals (PFA) activist, told The Times of India.
The organization finally saved Lakhi after receiving a tip off that the ailing pachyderm was being forced to work at a film shoot in Karjat, Raigad district, The Times of India reported.
"We rushed to the spot and also lodged a complaint with the Raigad range forest officer as elephants are protected wildlife species," Oswal said. "This crucial evidence of a blind elephant being made to work in a film shoot was taken cognizance of by the Pune-based judicial magistrate court first class (JMFC), and the animal was handed in our custody."
Lakhi was brought back to PFA and examined by senior veterinarian Dr. Yaduraj and given fresh fruit treats, according to the organization's Facebook.
The court was notified about Lakhi's situation and ruled that she can permanently go to Wildlife SOS, Mathura in southern India.
