Manika Walks Again: For 48 years, Maniki has walked this Earth. In recent years, however, every step became increasingly difficult. A long-standing deformity in her left front leg affected her gait and mobility, while age-related health concerns, infected wounds, impaired vision in one eye, dehydration, and poor body condition added to her suffering.
Maniki’s condition came to public attention after a video showed her limping painfully along a highway in Assam while being taken for medical treatment. The visuals deeply moved people across the country. Concerned citizens, animal welfare advocates, and members of the public came together to seek urgent support for her care. Petitions were signed, appeals were made, and Maniki’s condition became a matter of collective concern.
Recognising that Maniki required sustained hospital-based care, her owner, Ruchi Chetia, wrote to the Supreme Court appointed committee for rescue and care of suffering wild animals, requesting that she be transferred to Vantara for advanced treatment and long-term care. With the necessary approvals from the committee and the governments of Assam and Gujarat, Vantara has now safely transported her to Jamnagar.
At Vantara, Maniki will receive advanced hospital care, sustained treatment, and a permanent home designed around her comfort and wellbeing.
A Vantara spokesperson said: “Maniki’s health report indicates that she requires comprehensive veterinary attention in a protected and specialised care environment. Her impaired gait, lameness, dehydration, poor body condition, infected wounds, and other health concerns make a structured long-term treatment plan essential. Our immediate priorities include pain management through medication, hydrotherapy, and acupuncture, along with wound care and nutritional rehabilitation, all guided by her welfare and recovery needs. We are grateful to the authorities for their timely intervention and to Mr. Ruchi Chetia for his informed decision, which helped enable Maniki’s transfer to Vantara for the urgent care she requires.”
But Maniki’s healing will go beyond medicine. With soft soil and natural substrates to ease pressure on her injured leg, access to natural ponds that can help relieve the weight on her limbs, opportunities to forage naturally, and the companionship of other elephants, she will receive the care, comfort, and dignity she needs every day.
Maniki’s rescue is a reminder that collective voice, responsible choices, and coordinated efforts can change the course of an animal’s life. With the necessary support and approvals, Maniki now has the opportunity for a safer and more comfortable future.
For Maniki, the painful walks are over. At Vantara, she begins a new chapter of healing, care, and peace.
