Isn’t it truly amazing how when the going gets tough, most people and animals alike band together to help each other find a path out of the darkness and into the light?
For 53 years, Rhea the elephant lived her life as a trapped and abused circus performer.
Likely stolen from her mother at birth, Rhea lived a dismal existence, savagely tortured into submission as a child and then forced to perform on command for years.
Her one flickering light at the end of this torturous tunnel came in the form of two “sisters,” elephants Mia and Sita. The threesome formed their own little herd, willing each other to persevere through the pain and suffering.
Too many helpless animals still suffer at the hands of poachers and abusers all across the globe. When even one of these beautiful wild animals gets a second chance at happiness, that opportunity is a miracle worth celebrating.
Keep scrolling to learn more about Rhea the elephant, the beautiful bond she shares with her “sisters," and how she finally escaped her half century of trauma.
[H/T: The Dodo]
Rhea the elephant was recently rescued from a fate no one would likely wish on even their worst enemy.
For the last 53 years, Rhea lived with a group of circus performers who would abuse, starve, and neglect her when they weren’t forcing her to perform in shows night after night.
Her rescuers at Wildlife SOS India wildlife sanctuary believe these circus folk poached Rhea from her mother when she was just a baby.
As a child, her circus captors beat Rhea into submission, and then abused and neglected her so that she remained subservient.
When she wasn’t being forced to perform petty tricks for paying customers, Rhea spent most of her days chained up in a tiny cage.
Years of neglect wore down both Rhea’s soul and body. When Wildlife SOS found her, her feet were a complete mess.
Luckily, though, Rhea was able to find two beacons of solace amidst this unrelenting chaos — two other elephants named Mia and Sita.
The three formed their own little herd, and as Wildlife SOS writes on their blog: “Through those nearly five decades of trauma and unimaginable pain, Rhea had two sources of comfort — tied beside her in the dingy circus tent, sharing in her sorrow, were two more female circus elephants named Mia and Sita.”
Rhea had been so malnourished her entire life, she looked strikingly thinner than most elephants any of the Wildlife SOS workers had seen before.
While the folks at Wildlife SOS had every intention of rescuing all three elephants at once, paperwork delays forced them to temporarily leave Rhea behind, granting both her sisters the chance to receive the immediate medical attention they both so desperately needed.
This past week, though, Rhea’s opportunity to break free finally arrived.
The folks at Wildlife SOS India loaded Rhea into their custom-designed elephant ambulance, and just like that, her new life began.
Rhea's crew drove her 2,100 kilometers toward freedom, stopping here and there to hose her down with nice cool water, feed her copious amounts of delicious watermelons, coconuts, and, her favorite, bananas, and let her roam free.
A team of paramedics accompanied her the whole way in case of an emergency.
Rhea’s rescue team also constructed a little roof for her out of coconut leaves, to shield her from the sun’s hot rays.
Throughout the entire ride, Rhea kept squeaking and squealing, sensing her nightmare was finally coming to a close.
Now, reunited with her herd, Rhea, Mia, and Sita each have second chances to live joyous, peaceful lives.
After over half a century living in such extreme neglect and abuse, these elephants have finally found a safe place to call home.
To learn how you can help save precious animals like Rhea from continued abuse, visit the Wildlife SOS website here.
What do you think of Rhea’s happy ending? Let us know in the comments.
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