Repost
@animalrightsmovement
Two days ago was by far the most meaningful, profound, fulfilling, emotional day of my entire life. I got to go on the rescue of Kanjana (beautiful girl), a 45 year old Asian
#elephant who was ripped from her family, beaten mercilessly every day of her life, forced to carry
#tourists in the heat with a broken ankle every single day, made to pose for hundreds of
#selfies , and kept on a five foot chain in isolation for 20 years.
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Everything about her story is completely legal in
#Thailand and is the story of every single elephant in circuses, roadside zoos, and riding attractions in this country. They beat her brutally right in front of us. Clueless tourists actually stood by as they dug nails into her ears, punched her and jabbed her with a hook in an attempt to move her.
#Elephants do cry real tears and that is not anthropomorphism. Seeing the shackle come off her foot was the greatest moment of my life. Riding WITH her in the fog and rain in the back of a rickety truck going down the windiest road in Thailand with 90 degree hairpin turns for four hours felt completely safe with her incredibly comforting presence.
She could have killed us all with one swipe of her trunk, but even though humanity has shown her not one ounce of mercy she chose to be merciful towards us. She was a submissive shell of a
#wild and majestic
#animal .
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She drank in the scent of the jungle with her mouth and powerful trunk as we moved through the land, as if she instinctively knew it was where she belonged. Her trunk danced like it was an entity in itself. For not having been on a truck in 20 years, she was an angel. As it got dark the crescent moon illuminated her beautiful body.
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Today for the first time in her life she moved without dragging shackles behind her. Eventually she will roam free at Elephant Nature Park with the others. I still can’t even process it or put it into words. I love you so much Kanjana, and I will never forget riding in the truck with you. I want to thank
@lek_chailert and Derrick of the Save Elephant foundation and
@elephantnaturepark from the bottom of my heart for saving her life.
#jointheherd #worthmorealive #rescue 
