Chained elephant held in captivity for 50 years is dying in agony and has had its tusks chopped off

AN elephant held in captivity for 50 years is dying in agony and has had its tusks chopped off.

Gajraj, 63, is kept in chains as a tourist attraction at a temple in Satara, India.

The 63-year-old had previously been used by handlers to beg for money from visitors but is now so ill he has been dumped there for years to die.

He is imprisoned just seven minutes walk from the popular tourist spot of Sri Bhavani Museum, where British masterpieces by artist Henry Moore sit.

Shackled with chains, the elephant’s home is listed as a must see of “serenity and bliss” on tourist websites.

He has painful abscesses on his hind quarters and elbows caused by continuous chaining on hard flooring and no regular veterinary care.

The animal also sufferers overgrown and broken toenails on all four of his feet and he can only shift his enormous weight from one to the other to try to cope.

But more worryingly Gajraj is exhibiting classic severe psychological anguish, such as head-bobbing and swaying, showing mental distress caused by social isolation and continuous abuse in captivity.

He is not even walked any more as he is too ill to be exploited by his mahout handlers for begging.

Sweets and leftovers offered by people caused intestinal properties so he is not even cared for because he can no longer make money.

The elephant’s shocking condition was laid bare in disturbing video and footage supplied anonymously to this paper.

Often the creatures are kept in temples to attract tourists and add lustre to the surroundings, due to the religious links of the animals to Hinduism.

Calls – today backed by The Sun - have been made to free Gajraj and allow him to be moved to animal charity Wildlife SOS’s Elephant Conservation and Care Centre in Mathura.

He is currently in the custody of Her Highness Shrimant Gayatri Devi Pant Pratinidhi, the Queen of Aundh.