Tikiri, the 70-year-old malnourished elephant, collapsed after she was forced to march in parades during a festival in Sri Lanka.
The Save Elephant Foundation shared pictures of Tikiri on their Facebook page, they said, “Please pray for her. It is too tiring for her to walk and work.”
The post added, “Look at this poor old girl who has fallen down and the whole world can see her. We cannot just let it go silent. Time to stand up and take action to protect the others who still suffer and are waiting for our voice.”
This is not the first time pictures of Tikiri were shared online. Earlier this week, pictures of Tikiri wearing a colorful robe went viral.
The pictures showed the before and after of Tikiri wearing a probe and it shows how malnourished she is after the robe is removed.
Reports suggest that Tikiri walked miles for 10 consecutive nights during the festival in Sri Lanka.
Tikiri is one of the 60 elephants that are forced to take part in the Esala Perahara Festival, a Buddhist festival, which is celebrated in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
The foundation said, “Tikiri joins in the parade early every evening until late at night every night for 10 consecutive nights, amidst the noise, the fireworks, and smoke. She walks many kilometers every night so that people will feel blessed during the ceremony. No one sees her bony body or her weakened condition, because of her costume.”
They added, “No one sees the tears in her eyes, injured by the bright lights that decorate her mask, no one sees her difficulty to step as her legs are short shackled while she walks.”
The Save Elephant Foundation says they do not have any problem with people celebrating the festival as long as no animals are forced, abused, and harmed.
The group says, “To love, to do no harm, to follow a path of kindness and compassion, this is the Way of Buddha. It is time to follow.”
The Sacred Tooth Relic, which is the temple that hosts the Esala Perahara Festival, is yet to release a statement about the incident.