about the gallery

Fifty years ago Delhi housed more than 200 elephants, carrying grooms to weddings, or sought by the faithful for blessings at temples. But now the city -- overcome by cars, a population of 20 million -- is no longer a suitable home for Heera and his five bedraggled companions the last elephants to live there. After years of pressure from activists who say owners have been flouting wildlife regulations by keeping them in a city and exploiting them for commercial gains, authorities have ordered the seizure of the elephants with plans to move them to natural habitats.