Sunder, The Giant Who Saw Worst And Best Of Humanity, Is Now Gone
NDTV
Video of Sunder being tortured by mahout went viral in 2013; campaign to free him saw push from Amitabh Bachchan to Pamela Anderson to Paul McCartney
Sunder, the ‘beautiful' elephant, has died. He suffered a short illness before his death Friday night at the Bannerghatta Biological Park near Bengaluru.
But who was this elephant? And why would his passing be noticed more than that of any other of these magnificent giant animals?
Sunder had gone viral about a decade ago, but for horrific reasons. In 2013, a video surfaced online of the young temple elephant being abused by his mahout in Maharashtra. A campaign was started to free him to a better life — it caught the attention of animal-loving international celebrities, like the musical legend Paul McCartney, actor Pamela Anderson, and, closer home, Amitabh Bachchan.
It took a while to rescue Sunder, in an effort led by the animal welfare group, PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. But finally he was on his way to his new home at the Bannerghatta Biological Park.
