Suman is a six-year-old elephant living in shackles, hidden away from authorities underground, isolated from her mother. Suman has already been through so much; she was born into an abusive circus, then sold to a notoriously cruel owner in the notoriously cruel city of Jaipur. Today she is being forced to live in a dark basement, isolated from her family, hidden away from anyone who could help. If her owner decides to employ her as a riding-elephant, men will beat her and break her spirit to make her “tame enough for work." And she will work long, hard hours until the day she drops.

Baby elephants like Suman should never have to live like this! We rescued Suman's sister Peanut from the same circus that abused Suman several years ago, when Peanut was about the same age Suman is now. Today Peanut has a beautiful life, roaming green spaces with other elephants, full of energy and spirit. Suman deserves this life too, as do her mother and father. All together, one family, at our sanctuary. That is our goal.

Suman’s mother, Chanda, has been bred to the point of exhaustion — only to watch her babies repeatedly wrenched away and sold into horrible lives. Chanda is being forced to give tourist rides through the scorching heat in Jaipur, heavy loads weighing down her spine. Suman’s father, Bijli, was also sold into a thankless life of labor in Jaipur.

We cannot allow this. We cannot stand by and watch Suman's little spirit break through cruelty and neglect. We cannot allow her future to be five decades of abuse and neglect in Jaipur, instead of five decades of love with her family at our rescue center. 

Please stand with us for Suman. Help us reunite her with Peanut. Help us bring her family — a family that has already suffered so much — out of darkness and isolation and into a future together.

Please sign this petition asking officials in Jaipur to do the right thing.