In April 2025, Vayu entered the Elephant Hospital Campus (EHC) along with a heart-wrenching story. As Vayu completes his first year under compassionate care with us, let us take a look at what he faced in his past, and trace his healing journey with Wildlife SOS.
Far in the jungles of Northeast India, resided a male elephant with gorgeous tusks. He enjoyed being surrounded by the lush green plants of Assam, but this life came with a price for him. Vayu was being exploited in the logging industry. He was forced to carry heavy goods, and was unable to lead the life every pachyderm deserves in the wild. One day, Vayu met with a terrible fall that left him injured. Lack of assessment by his owner led to partial healing, leaving his left front limb with a permanent disability. This eventually made Vayu a liability, and with no financial support for his care, Vayu was left isolated. When Wildlife SOS’s Haathi Sewa team first saw him, he was tied to a tree, undergoing musth, and was severely malnourished. Seeing the gentle giant in this abnormal posture left them shocked.
The tusker could not be left in that state unattended. With cooperation of forest departments from both Assam and Uttar Pradesh, it was decided to transfer Vayu’s care in the able hands of professionals at EHC. The long journey to bring Vayu to safety was worth every kilometre the carrier crossed. His conditions were diagnosed on his arrival at the Elephant Hospital, and a kind caregiver was introduced to him. The caregiver’s compassion and consideration was evident when he proceeded to give Vayu a refreshing shower. Vayu calmly stood when the water was splashed on him, it was as though it was relieving his mind and body from years of hard work.
His areas of treatment were pinpointed. Our medical team knew that his left forelimb was permanently misaligned. Osteoarthritis had therefore set into the joint which to this day causes him pain and swelling from time to time. Abscesses on his foot pads needed urgent attention, and so, a mix of cooling aloe vera, neem leaves, coconut oil and turmeric was thoroughly applied. Vayu’s wounds eventually healed, providing relief to his aching pads.
To help contain the pain and discomfort he experiences due to his crippled leg, the proficient doctors have administered laser therapy and anti-inflammatory medicines to regularly continue. Along with these provisions, Vayu also receives multivitamins with his daily intake to strengthen his limbs.
Vayu has turned 53 this year. Gentle and easy going are the most precise adjectives that we can come up with to describe the bull elephant’s nature. The pachyderm has become very fond of his caregiver, and whenever he is around, there is no possibility for Vayu to get distracted. This kind of attention proves that his heart truly trusts the companion he met only a year ago.
Vayu has a towering yet calm presence over his veterinarians that arrive for his target training sessions. The comfort he has developed over the year with all the medical practitioners is remarkable when Vayu thoughtfully cooperates during his interactions with them. While he shows focus and patience during this time, his caregivers are aware why Vayu puts forth his trunk from time to time — it’s because an edible reward will be presented to him for each of his exemplary responses. The best thing is that he voluntarily participates in these sessions, making Vayu’s treatments a cinch.
It is extremely important to highlight one of Vayu’s most eminent features that can be spotted from a mile away. As if he wasn’t handsome enough, the pachyderm has a gorgeous set of tusks! These are nothing but an elephant’s upper incisors that grow throughout their life. These overgrown teeth serve multiple purposes for elephants in the wild such as foraging, digging for water and even defending themselves.
As he is unable to cover distances because of his disability in the left forelimb, doctors at EHC feel it best that he should not be forced into taking long walks. However, he must remain active, and so, caregivers have stocked his enclosure with enrichments! These have been deliberately placed in different parts of his field so that he gets a sufficient amount of exercise while getting to them. There are haynets hanging around that are filled with ripe bananas or seasonal fodder. A cage feeder is placed on all four corners of his living space, urging him to head for the next after finishing the fodder extracted from one. While he pulls out stalks by twisting and turning his trunk, our majestic bull elephant is exercising all 40,000 muscles that are present in it!
Vayu remains true to his name, his presence feels like a breeze of fresh air when you cross his enclosure. And if you pause to silently observe him, his many soft rumbles may come across as a conversation he is willing to start!
Vayu has turned 53 this year, and has completed a year under our care. To celebrate his year of healing with Wildlife SOS, his loving caregivers had a surprise treat in store for him!
Even after noticing the large fruit feast that was laid out for him, Vayu’s reaction to it was nothing less than classic. He took slow, charming steps towards it, and instead of going straight for the fruits like we thought he would, decided to pick up the fodder he was served first. Many wise ones save the best for the last, and Vayu did exactly that. After finishing the greens, he moved on to the fresh bananas, juicy watermelons, slices of pumpkins and perfectly cut cucumbers!
Patience and compassion permits us to help these pachyderms overcome the pain they suffer from and heal. You can contribute to Vayu’s healthcare by becoming his sponsor. We will be in regular contact with you, keeping you informed about his improving health along with sweet anecdotes from his life!
Just like we found Vayu in need of urgent medical care, if you come across an elephant in distress, make sure to reach out to us on our elephant hotline number: +91 9971699727.
Feature Image: Atharva Pacharne/Wildlife SOS
