An elephant that was believed to be rescued by ex-Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney, has been found abused in a shack.

In 2012 McCartney made a trip to India. While on that trip he met Sunder, an elephant that had been abused by his handlers at Jyotiba Temple south of Mumbai. McCartney was so moved by the 14-year-old Sunder that he organized a campaign to rescue the elephant.

By the time McCartney met Sunder, the elephant had an eye injury, a hole in his ear, and multiple scars all over his body. Sunder had spent six years in the city of Kolhapur at the temple after being donated by a local politician.

After working and making agreements with the Maharashtra State’s forest department and an Indian government organization called Project Elephant, McCartney believed Sunder would be moved to a sanctuary, but a recent investigation found Sunder living in a shack.

Not only did an animal rights group investigation find Sunder living in a chicken shack being shackled in chains that were so heavy he couldn’t lay down to sleep, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) captured video of the elephant being beaten by his handlers and looking malnourished. You can see for yourself in the video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BOWXPyQiMw

PETA director of veterinary affairs, Dr. Manilal Valliyate said Sunder had been seen “writhing in pain and struggling to stand as the mahout (handler) strikes him repeatedly. Sunder visibly recoils in fear from the weapon-wielding mahout, who continues to threaten him with violence after he has stood.”

The investigation performed by PETA found that the shack Sunder has been confined to is open on three sides, allowing the harsh heat of the sun during the day and the cold wind and weather at night to abuse the elephant. They also found that there is no bedding for Sunder in the shack.

Image via YouTube.