Madhavan Wants Sunder Freed

Award-winning actor R Madhavan is holding a sign reading, “Free Sunder”, to support PETA in our call for the release of the abused 14-year-old elephant. PETA is seeking Sunder’s release via a case in the High Court of Bombay.

Member of the Legislative Assembly Vinay Kore donated Sunder to the Jyotiba temple in 2007, and the elephant has been kept chained since then. In December 2013, PETA obtained video footage showing that Sunder’s mahout violently beat him with a pole near a poultry shed where he had been moved at the behest of Kore. That same month, the High Court of Bombay ordered Sunder’s transfer to a sanctuary, but he has yet to be released by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Sarjan Bhagat.

“Sunder is just a young elephant, not much older than my son, and he has many years of life ahead of him”, Madhavan says. “He must not be forced to live it alone, in chains and in fear of being beaten. It’s high time to free Sunder.”

Joining Madhavan in his call for Sunder’s release have been Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Arjun Rampal, Raveena Tandon and many other top celebrities as well as more than 1,00,000 people who have signed PETA’s online petition.

You, too, can get involved in the campaign to free Sunder.