Wildlife SOS starts campaign to rescue elephant calf from 'traffickers'

A wildlife protection group has started a campaign to rescue a six-year-old female elephant calf from alleged animal traffickers in Rajasthan and reunite her with her sister at a conservation and care centre in Mathura.

The calf, named Suman, was bought "illegally" from a circus in Maharashtra before the elephants there were seized as per government orders, said a statement from Wildlife SOS.

"Purchase and sale of elephant is banned under the Indian law. Also, no elephant can be moved from one state to another without a valid transit permit from both states. But the calf was moved to Rajasthan and is now under the possession of animal traffickers," it said.

Suman is a sibling of eight-year-old Peanut, both mothered by Chanda, who was rescued by Wildlife SOS in 2015 and is now at the group's elephant conservation and care centre in Mathura.

The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau has informed the Rajasthan forest department about the calf, yet no action has been taken to rescue her, the group said in a statement.

"Suman is a helpless elephant calf separated from her mother. We are reaching out to our supporters and elephant lovers across the world to stand strong for Suman and ensure her future is safe with us and that she is reunited with her sister, Peanut," said Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS.