Ailing and hurt, 58-year-old female elephant Bijlee has been standing under heavy rain with support from a crane and care from animal NGO volunteers. Bijlee collapsed, for the second time in a week, near Fortis hospital in Mulund on June 13. Since then, she has been undergoing treatment for fatigue, a severe, maggot-infested injury and bruises in her hind legs.“For several years, Bijlee has been forced to beg, work at weddings and other religious ceremonies by their owners,” said Ganesh Nayak of Animals Matter To Me (AMTM), an NGO. AMTM has been taking care of the animal for the past week.Help has been pouring in since word about Bijlee’s plight spread, but it isn’t enough. “Per day, we pay Rs13,000 for the crane, and Rs6,000 for her food and medicines,” said Nayak. A shed has been built to protect the elephant from the heavy rains. The NGO is also bearing the expenses of bringing down experts from Guwahati, Bhopal, Pune and Bangalore. Dr Kushal Sharma, a renowned international elephant expert, has also been called in. Another hurdle is the lack of help from the government. Volunteers complain that while forest officials and politicians have been visiting the spot, there has been no real help from their end.The elephant has been working for her owner for over fifty years. “We found out that Bijlee had two major accidents in the past. Around four years ago, she fell into a creek in Alibaug and around three years ago, she was hit by a tempo. She is old and all her old injuries are troubling her once again after her latest fall,” said a volunteer.According to animal rights activists, a few years ago, Bijlee was taken away from her owner and rehabilitated to Yeoor hills in Thane, but the animal refused to eat without her master around and so was returned to him. “This time, we want to permanently move her to the elephant sanctuary in Mathura, and maybe ask for the owners to be moved too,” said Nayak.As per a Bombay high court order, the entry of elephants into Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai is banned, but mahouts openly flout this order. AMTM has also filed an FIR against the mahout.What you can doYou can go to the spot and help, or you can send donations in favour of ‘Animals Matter To Me, Mumbai’ to: AMTM Mumbai, B601, Shyam Nagar, Blue Meadows, Off JVLR, Behind Majas depot, Jogeshwari (E), Mumbai-400060.Online fund transfers can be done to AMTM’s savings bank account in the name of:‘Animals Matter to Me, Mumbai’SB Account number: 911010036376599IFSC/RTGS Code: UTIB0000395Axis Bank, MIDC branch, Andheri(E), Mumbai-400093

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