A TORTURED elephant used for begging and as a prop for wedding processions was “intentionally blinded” by its cruel owners.
The elderly animal named Nina, aged 60, was rescued by charity Wildlife SOS in Uttar Pradesh, India.
Nina was held in chains and intentionally blinded by her owners, experts say
The elephant’s eyeballs have collapsed or sunken after years of abuse
Initially, the abused elephant showed signs of PTSD such as severe anxiety and bobbing her head continually when saved earlier this year.
When elephants are captured in the wild in India they are often subjected to a brutal process called “Phajaan” which literally means “breaking of the spirit.”
The animal is put in a confined space where they are starved and beaten until they become subservient to their captors.
Shockingly, depraved people intentionally destroy the eyes of the elephants – blinding them – to gain more sympathy while begging.
Nina was also used in wedding processions where she was painted, made to carry heavy ornaments and forced to walk on hot tarmac roads from one ceremony to another surrounded by loud music.
And when she was not being brutally abused, the poor Asian elephant was held in chains, unable to move around.
Abused elephants are forced to walk for miles and then held in chains when they are not working
The cracked feet of an elephant captured in the wild and then tortured in India