India:~SUNDER THE ELEPHANT IS ON HIS WAY TO SANCTUARY!! VICTORY!!

[Hand In Hand With Asia]

THIS IS THE NEWS WE HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!! SUNDER IS ON HIS WAY TO FREEDOM!!
Days after the Supreme Court upheld the Bombay High Court order, Sunder is finally on his way to freedom having boarded the truck to a rescue and rehabilitation centre at Bangalore under mild sedation this morning (Thursday 5th June 2014).
The Supreme Court had, on May 29, upheld the Bombay High Court’s judgement ordering Sunder’s release by 15th June. Peta India had, since 2012, alleged that Sunder was ill-treated by his mahouts and was not given proper care at his tethering place at Warnanagar near Kolhapur.
In an operation that began around 6.30 am, forest officials from the Kolhapur division and veterinarians called in specially for the operation from Kerala first tried to lure the elephant inside the truck. But the absence of his mahout made it difficult to control Sunder, forcing the vets to tranquilise him said forest officials.
Officials managed to put Sunder inside the truck and set off to the rehabilitation centre within Bannerghatta biological park at around 9am. Two vets, their assistants as well as officials from the Kolhapur forest division will accompany the elephant to the centre, around 600 kilometres away. This would be the longest distance an untrained elephant will be travelling during a transfer, said M K Rao, chief conservator of forests, Kolhapur division.

To help Sunder get into the truck, officials had dug a ditch just outside his tethering place and lowered the back end of the special truck to allow him to climb on to it through a special downward-sloping ramp. Since 1st June, forest officials have been trying to entice Sunder into climbing on to the truck by placing bananas, jackfruits, pineapples, sugarcanes and some jaggery inside. After the first two unsuccessful days, officials allowed Sunder to rest and today attempted to get Sunder to board the truck with success!
Thanks to everyone who signed the petitions but most importantly the dedicated Indian activists who never gave up on Sunder. Thank you! Now, please help them one last time by signing and sharing the petition to arrest all those who abused Sunder:-

https://www.change.org/en-IN/petitions/hon-ble-prime-minister-of-in...